The growing spectre of religious extremism is a potential threat to the solidarity and integrity of Pakistan, President General Pervez Musharraf warned on Saturday. “Some vested interest are promoting extremism in the country in the name of Islam. That'd be the gummint and the ISI, of course...
"They are misinterpreting our religion to serve their personal agenda, which must be prevented,” Gen Musharraf said in an address to officers of the armed forces at Corps Headquarters Karachi. He said some mosques and madrassas were being used to promote religious extremism, which was a dangerous trend.
They're supposed to be reserved for subverting neighboring states...
He appealed to the public to keep vigilant for “such conspiracies aimed at dividing them in the name of religion and sect”. He urged the audience to promote tolerance for diverse views of citizens so that the government could pursue its policies and give to the country the place it deserves in the comity of nations.
It's probably best not to discuss the place that Pakland actually deserves...
Gen Musharraf said that Pakistan followed a policy of “live and let live” for peace,
... except when it comes to Kashmir, India, and Afghanistan...
but the international and regional environment demanded the highest level of vigilance and military preparedness, and the government was aware of these imperatives. “We do not have any aggressive designs against any country, but our desire for peace should not be considered our weakness,” he said adding that Pakistan was fully capable of making a tit-for-tat response in case of “any misadventure against its solidarity and integrity”. “We are determined to defend the territorial integrity and solidarity of our country and our desire is reflected in the capabilities of our armed forces,” he added.
The armed forces that've never won a war, that get regularly beaten up by tribal primitives...
He reiterated that Pakistan wanted to resolve all disputes, including over Kashmir, with India through talks, and that the ongoing peace process would continue despite hurdles.
"What the hell's that?"
"It's a hurdle"
"Looks like a carload of guys in turbans waving guns and rolling their eyes!"
He praised the ongoing armed forces development programme, saying it had greatly improved the operational capabilities of the army, air force and navy over the last few years. The current national and international situation demanded that the armed forces continued to excel in military operations and preparations, he added. The president said the upgrade of the armed forces through the Armed Forces Development Plan was part of the governmentÂ’s national defence policy and would see the three services much stronger and far more capable of defending Pakistan. He discussed the international and regional environment prevailing at the moment and PakistanÂ’s important role in that context.