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| In an exclusive interview to Al Arabiya English Musharraf said that the US President has “come in with a clean slate.” (AFP) |
I generally see things optimistically and, whatever his personal
qualities, I see him [Donald Trump] as anagent of change, Former
President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, has said.
In
an exclusive interview to Al Arabiya English – conducted on the
sidelines of the South Asia Rising Conference in Dubai on Sunday –
Musharraf said that the US President has “come in with a clean slate.”
“He
is quite uninitiated into world disputes, into our region, into India,
Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, all these are new to him so therefore
one can influence his mind to the right direction,” he said.
War on terror
Musharraf also said that Pakistan’s plate is
already full when it comes to dealing with terror. “We need to look at
ourselves and we need to control terrorism within Pakistan,” he said,
adding that a very holistic approach is needed to tackle this challenge.
“In
Pakistan terrorism exists in different forms … and each one of them
should be dealt with,” Musharraf said in the interview. According to
him, taking this approach will help the Arab world as well as the rest
of the world. “Basically what Pakistan is facing, others are also
facing”.
Sectarianism
Musharraf
said that his views are very clear on the issues of terrorism in the
Muslim world. “Whenever terrorism also has sectarian overtones it
becomes very explosive and dangerous for the Muslim world. This is what
needs to be resolved,” he said.
He added
that unfortunately whatever is happening in Yemen and in Iraq, Syria and
other parts of the Middle East, has sectarian overtones. “That needs to
be checked and controlled,” he said.
During the interview, Musharraf also talked
about the political situation in Pakistan, Indo-Pak disputes and the
news related to Pakistan’s General Raheel Sharif becoming the head of “Muslim NATO”.
General
Pervez Musharraf was the President of Pakistan from 2001–2008, and the
Chief of Army Staff from 1998–2007. In 1999, President Musharraf came
into power with what TIME Magazine quoted as “the most dangerous job in
the world” and played a critical role in fighting the war on terrorism
during his presidency
Source: Al arabiya
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