London, Sept 25: The US Central Intelligence Agency paid Pakistan millions of dollars for handing over more than 350 suspected al Qaeda terrorists to the United States, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said, The Times reported on Monday.
The assertions come in the military ruler`s upcoming memoir "In the Line of Fire", serialised in The Times.
Musharraf does not reveal how much Pakistan was paid for the 369 al Qaeda suspects he ordered should be handed over to the United States, the newspaper said, noting, however, that such payments are banned by the US Government.
The newspaper does not, however, print or quote the excerpts which make the allegations.
In response a US Department of Justice official was quoted as saying: "We didn`t know about this. It should not happen. These bounty payments are for private individuals who help to trace terrorists on the FBI`s most wanted list, not foreign governments."
The Pakistani leader`s claims come after he said last week that former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage had threatened to bomb Pakistan if it did not back the United States in the so-called "war on terror" in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, described by Musharraf as "What has to be the most undiplomatic statement ever made".
Musharraf also writes that he was so angered by American demands in the wake of the September 11 attacks, which he calls "ludicrous", that he "war-gamed the United States as an adversary."
"There would be a violent and angry reaction if we didn`t support the United States," an excerpt from his book reads.
"The question was: if we do not join them, can we confront them and withstand the onslaught? The answer was no."
He said that two days after the attacks, the US ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlain brought to him a set of seven demands including "blanket over flight and landing rights" and "use of Pakistan`s naval ports, air bases, and strategic locations on borders".
Musharraf said Pakistan gave no "blanket permission" for anything.
India`s nuke enrichment tech may be a copy of Pak
Putting the entire blame of
Pakistan`s record of nuclear proliferation on disgraced
nuclear scientist A Q Khan, Musharraf has
alleged that several Indians worked for Khan`s network in
Dubai and India`s uranium enrichment technology "could be a
copy" of Pakistani centrifuge design.
There is little doubt that A Q was the central figure
in the proliferation network but he was assisted over the
years by a number of money-seeking freelancers from different
countries, Musharraf wrote in his book “ In The Line of Fire” squarely blaming the scientist who recently underwent surgery
for prostrate cancer.
While these "freelancers" who included people from
Holland, Switzerland, Dubai and Europe, simultaneously pursued
their own business independently, "ironically the (Khan`s)
network based in Dubai had employed several Indians, some of
whom have since vanished," Musharraf wrote in his biography.
"There is a strong probability that the Indian uranium
enrichment programme may also have also have roots in the
Dubai based network and could a copy of the Pakistani
centrifuge design. This has recently alluded to by an eminent
American non-proliferation analyst," he said without giving
the name of the US analyst.
Sharif displayed lack of statesmanship during Kargil War
In his book `In The Line of Fire`, the General, who was Army Chief during the 1999 conflict, admits that Pakistan had lost ground and Indian Army had achieved success as the intense conflict progressed. He criticises Sharif for agreeing to "unconditional withdrawal" under international pressure.
"On our side, I am ashamed to say, our political leadership insinuated that the achievements of our troops amounted to a `debacle`. As the Chief of Army Staff, I found myself in a very difficult position," he says.
He recalls that he wanted to "explain the military situation, to demonstrate how successful we had been and point out the political mishandling that had caused so much despair. But that would have been disloyal and very unsettling for the political leaders. In desperation, they might do something to destabilise the state system, or to damage the fabric of the Army."
"On our side, our political leadership displayed a total lack of statesmanship and made no serious effort to rally the country," writes Musharraf who is widely believed to be the man behind the Pakistani intrusions that led to a four-month-long conflict.
He notes that "India worked hard to isolate us diplomatically" and that "international pressure had a demoralising effect on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif."
Pointing out differences between the military and the political establishment, Musharraf says that Sharif had asked him several times whether Pakistan should accept a ceasefire and withdraw. "My answer every time was restricted to the optimistic military situation; I left the political decisions to him."
Referring to Sharif`s sudden visit to the US to meet President Bill Clinton, Musharraf recalls "it remains a mystery to me why he was in such a hurry."
Musharraf awaits PM`s `outside the box` solution
President Musharraf says that he is still waiting for the Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh`s "outside the box" solution on Jammu and
Kashmir.
In his book, the General recalls his first
meeting with Singh in New York two years ago and writes that
he found the Indian leader to be "a very positive and genuine
person" with a desire to resolve disputes with Pakistan.
Two years down the road Musharraf sings a somewhat
different tune, and writes, "The initial signs of sincerely
and flexibility that I sensed in Manmohan Singh seem to be
withering away. I think the Indian establishment --the
bureaucrats, diplomats and intelligence agencies and perhaps
even the military-- has gotten the better of him."
He has this advice for Singh: "I feel if a leader is
to break away from hackneyed ideas and frozen positions, he
has to be bold. He has to dominate the establishment, rather
than letting it dictate to him".
"I am", he writes, "still waiting for Manmohan Singh`s
`outside the box` solution. In the meanwhile, I have initiated
many new ideas. We await responses or any counter ideas to
solve the dispute over Kashmir without which I strongly
believe permanent peace in the region will remain elusive."
No one forced me to join the war on terror: Musharraf
President Musharraf has
said he joined the war on terrorism only because it was in the
interest of the country and not because someone put a "gun" on
his head and forced him into it.
He also denied that he is essentially walking both
sides of the line when it comes to fighting terror.
""No, not at all," Musharraf said in an interview on
NBC`s "Today Show", responding to a query on whether he was
forced to go along with the US in the aftermath of the
September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
"That is not the case. It is very clear and explained
in the book that we did whatever we did in the interest of
Pakistan. I`m not doing anything specifically for the interest
of others. Basically, it is in Pakistan`s interest that I took
the decision and not -- it`s not the case of somebody pointing
the gun on my head or anything," he said.
"Because it`s in Pakistan`s interest, obviously it is
-- my heart is in it. The whole nation`s heart is in it...
Obviously, I took a deliberate decision. I thought about it.
It was a very serious decision that had to be taken. And the
main issue that came into my mind was destabilizing a nuclear
state and causing such destabilization... To the global
environment," he said.
Bureau Report
