NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf has warned India that Islamabad will strike at “a time and place of its choosing” if New Delhi resorted to any military retaliation to the Uri attack.
“The persons who are talking about military retaliation – including your DGMO, your defence minister – should understand the consequences. The DGMO should learn a lesson of military that you have to wargame it till the end.
If you strike at the time and place of your choosing, we will strike back at the time and place of our choosing as well. It doesn’t stop at your action; what will follow should also be considered,” he told CNN-News18 exclusively from his residence in London.
Musharraf categorically denied that the Pakistan Army-propped Jaish-e-Mohammed was responsible for the Uri attack.
“I don’t know the basis of him (Indian DGMO Lt General Ranbir Singh) saying this within hours of the attack. And in any case the statements the DGMO gave were offensive,” he said, adding that India always blames Pakistan and its military for any attack in Kashmir.
When quizzed specifically on how Islamabad can wash its hands off the matter since the evidence found at the Uri attack site includes Pakistan marking weapons, Musharraf claimed they can be “bought from anywhere”.
“You can get any ammunition, any kind of weapon or equipment from any part of the world. Everyone from the Taliban to al Qaeda is carrying the same. Any weapon with any marking can be procured in the world. These are not credible evidence to say that these people came from Pakistan. The Indian government is trying to say as if the Pakistan army and the Pakistan government is involved,” he said.
Musharraf also claimed that JeM was not at all active in Pakistan. “These are organisations and Pakistan government has a stand on them. JeM is a banned organisation even now. Lashkar-e-Toiba is not. However Pak government is taking actions as required in accordance with their domestic requirement,” he said
Accusing India of “double standards” on terrorism, Pervez Musharraf said that Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bugti “is a terrorist” and India should not give him asylum.
General (retd) Musharraf’s remarks came amid reports that Bugti has formally sought political asylum in India, and New Delhi is willing to grant it. “He (Bugti) is a terrorist. India should not give him asylum,” Musharraf told Indian CNN-News18 channel from London.
The former Pakistani military commander accused India of adopting double standards on terrorism. “You (India) cannot say your terrorist is a terrorist but our terrorist is not a terrorist,” he said.
