London: Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar is beyond Pakistani control, former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has claimed, describing him as "absolutely obstinate" and semi-literate.

Claiming that Pakistan should tell US that it has compulsions of "national interest" in not cracking down on the Haqqani network, Musharraf told Telegraph that Omar was semi-literate and not aware of issues of the world.

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Apparently indicating that Haqqani terror outfit was Pakistan`s safe bet in Afghanistan, the former Pakistan president claimed that Haqqanis were source of terrible lack of trust and confidence. Asked if Pakistan needed the support of the powerful insurgent family led by Jalaluddin Haqqani, he said, "If I was in government I would certainly be thinking how best to defend Pakistan`s interest. National interest compulsion for backing Haqqani
Musharraf said that Pakistan has compulsion of "national interest" in backing the Haqqani terror network as it fears intense "exterior maneuvering" in Afghanistan once the US withdraws from the war-torn country in 2014.

"When the coalition talk of leaving in 2014, Pakistan has to really think, what will be the environment and fend for itself against all the exterior pressures, all the exterior manoeuvrings and political manoeuvrings against Pakistan," Musharraf was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph newspaper.

While backing Pakistan Army`s inaction in moving against the Haqqani network havens in north Waziristan, Musharraf claimed that the "United States doesn?t understand the sensitivities of Pakistan - that the United States is in league with India, that Indians are allowed to do whatever they are doing in Afghanistan.

Visualising the possibility of a free for all mayhem in Afghanistan post-US forces withdrawal, the former Pakistani military ruler indicated that the Haqqani faction was Islamabad`s best bet, as he revealed for the first time that the Taliban chief Mullah Omar was "beyond Pakistani control". "The United States must accept the compulsions of Pakistan," Musharraf, who has plans to make a political comeback in his country said, while admitting that the relations between US and Pakistan was now "very poor" and suffered from "lack of trust and confidence" with ?faults on both sides".

His comments comes in the wake of charges made by topmost American military commander Mike Mullen that Haqqani network was the "veritable arm" of Pakistan`s military intelligence ISI, which was using it as a "proxy" in Afghanistan.

Musharraf said Pakistan must "talk straight" about what their national interest is viz a viz, why are they not acting against Haqqani in North Waziristan [his stronghold], viz a viz was there any complicity in Osama bin Laden being found in Abbottabad."

Asked about post-US forces withdrawal scenario in Afghanistan, the former Pakistan military ruler said, one in which there was total mayhem and a free for all with ?every ethnic group fighting each other.

On the other hand, if the Taliban managed to unite under one leader, civil war could ensue.

But he proposed that a best solution for the waring nation would be to have ethnically representative, proportionally balanced, national government that recognised the strength of the Pashtuns. "If I was in government I would certainly be thinking how best to defend Pakistan`s interests. Certainly, if Afghanistan is being used by India to create an anti-Pakistan Afghanistan, we would like to prevent that," the former Pakistan president said when asked if Islamabad needed the support of the powerful insurgent family led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and linked to the Taliban.

"The United States must understand Pakistan has its own national interest. The United States must accept the compulsions of Pakistan and give assurances," Musharraf told the The Telegraph.

He said Pakistan must spell out to the world why it’s not acting against the Haqqani group as it is in its national interest.

According to the report, Musharraf dismissed suggestions that the Pakistani military had colluded in hiding al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, but said the incident was "most embarrassing and negligence of a shameful order".

The former president said that if he was in power he believed the Americans would have told him about their plans to carry out the covert operation against bin Laden in advance.

"I`m a straight talker and I accept straight talk," he said.

He said the distrust between the US and Pakistan has increased by drone attacks on the tribal areas, the killing of bin Laden and tensions over Raymond Davis, the CIA agent who shot dead two alleged robbers in Lahore earlier this year.

"Are we some jungle people that you can do anything with? This is the feeling of the people of Pakistan. Are we some animal that they are treating us like this? We are a sovereign country and we have our own human rights."

He said the relationship with Britain was "a little better but not good".

He said Prime Minister David Cameron`s comments about Pakistan`s failure to take on terrorism during a visit to India were "very, very negative".

"Isn`t it naive that if you are going to India and you are supposed to be a world power, you are lecturing Pakistan that Pakistan needs to do more on terror. This is terrible, this is not good diplomacy at all. Britain we know to be very good diplomats but this is not good diplomacy," the former Pakistani strongman said.

Musharraf admitted he had had an almost openly hostile relationship with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. "As time passed I realised that President Hamid Karzai is playing more in the hands of Indians who were trying to create an anti-Pakistan Afghanistan," he said.

PTI