http://www.nation.com.pk/inset.htm
Interview with Pakistani CEO Parvez Musharraff
Q. You claim the final word.Genetically speaking, are Indians and Pakistani's the same?
A. I think that they are very different in many ways.
Q. Physically or character-wise, the two nations are different?
A. I think both ways. Physically and also character-wise.
Q. How many children do you have?
A. Two. A son and daughter.
Q. If your daughter would come and tell you that she would like to marry an Indian .... a terrific Indian. "A doctor", Would you object?
A. If it's a Muslim Indian I wouldn't. If it's a Hindu Indian I would certainly object.
Q. You would object? If she would be willing to marry, let's say, a Catholic American, Irish American?
A. I would again object.
Q. You requested international mediation of the UN Aren't you concerned that just because of India's reputation as a democratic country, ("the greatest democracy in the world") This mediation will tilt in favour of India because its a democracy?
A. Well, we have demanded mediation, but mediation does not mean that we will automatically accept whatever the mediator concludes even if it is wrongfully tilting to the other side. We will certainly not accept it.
Q. Do you think that Pakistan, in general, Pakistani society, treats its minorities or different ethnic groups better or worse than India treats it own?
A. 200 times better! Q. 200 times better? A. If not more. I'm very sure of that and this is, again, an unfortunate wrong perception that Indians create against Pakistan, of our being not accommodating enough against the minorities and our having extremist attitudes towards the minorities. There is nothing farther than the truth.
Q. With the risk of irritating you, you said a short time ago that you would not be happy to see your daughter marrying a Catholic or a non-Muslim. Doesn't this reflect some kind of intolerance towards,...
A. No, I would beg to differ. This is not intolerance. I would love to interact with anybody of any religion and I have been interacting. I have been abroad and I've been interacting, in fact, let me tell you that when I was at the Royal College of Defense Studies, I respected the Israeli officer very much and my interaction with him and also with his wife was very pleasant. So I have no intolerance against any kind of interaction. But when it comes to marriages that you are talking of, now this is a totally different issue. There are cultural differences involved and there are societal differences involved and therefore that is the reason when I said that I would not like my daughter to be married to a Hindu Indian, that doesn't mean that I am intolerant. I interacted very well with the Indian Hindu officer who was there on the same course. He was my neighbour and we interacted very well with him.
Q. You point a finger at the media, saying that the media tilts strongly toward the Indian side?
A. Yes. Certainly. I strongly believe that this is the case. There are a lot of Indians in the media, controlling the media and that is the unfortunate part, they distort facts. Actually perceptions that are not the reality.
Q. You are speaking about Indians who work as English journalists in England, and American journalists in America? Are you claiming that their heart is really with India? A. First of all there are a lot of Indians in all places in the international media .... television, newspaper .
Q. Sure. There are talented Indians.
A. These Indians do have actually an interest themselves, and they also influence others, those who are around them, those of other nationalities.
Q. A plebiscite was offered in Kashmir by the United Nations in 1948. Do you still want it?
A. Yes. Certainly. That is our position.
Q. Now, going back to what you said before, If the results would be pro-India, would you still accept them?
A. Well, I am more than hundred percent sure that the (plebiscite-R.L.)results will not be pro-India.
Q. What if the people of Kashmir will vote for independence?
A. There's no room for that. They have to vote either for India or for Pakistan.
Q. Kindly mention to me the four countries that are good friends of Pakistan.
A. Okay. Number one, China. Turkey. Saudi Arabia. Abu Dhabi.
Q. Abu Dhabi is not a very big country.
A. (Here the Pakistani Ambassador suddenly joins in, and corrects his chief executive: "UAE, United Arab Emirates, and the chief executive accepts.)
Q. You don't count the United States as one.
A. Well.
Q. I said "good" friends.
A. We have been good friends but not all that. ..
Q. Do you think that the nuclear weapons now present in both India and Pakistan make the sub-continent more, or less secure?
A. More secure, I think.
Q. The people of India and Pakistan have shared a history of several thousand years, shared language, shared cuisine, music and common culture. Yet, there are more Muslims remaining in India than there are in Pakistan. Is that true?
A. Population wise, is this true. I don't think it is true that India has more Muslim than we have. But I would like to comment on the first part when you talked about our history and our commonality. I do beg to differ. Our history is totally different. Our heroes are their villains and vice-versa. Our culture is absolute the opposite. They consider cows as their gods. We slaughter cows and eat them .
Q. Didn't India's culture stem partly from the area of what is Pakistan now?
A. No. The Buddhist culture originated from Pakistan. But the Hindu culture did not originate from Pakistan.
Ranan R. Lurie is a Senior Adjunct Fellow with the CSIS, The Washington based think tank, the political cartoonist for FOREIGN AFFAIRS magazine, and an internationally syndicated political analyst/cartoonist http://www.foreignaffairs.org
[This message has been edited by mohabbat (edited October 24, 2000).]
Interview with Pakistani CEO Parvez Musharraff
Q. You claim the final word.Genetically speaking, are Indians and Pakistani's the same?
A. I think that they are very different in many ways.
Q. Physically or character-wise, the two nations are different?
A. I think both ways. Physically and also character-wise.
Q. How many children do you have?
A. Two. A son and daughter.
Q. If your daughter would come and tell you that she would like to marry an Indian .... a terrific Indian. "A doctor", Would you object?
A. If it's a Muslim Indian I wouldn't. If it's a Hindu Indian I would certainly object.
Q. You would object? If she would be willing to marry, let's say, a Catholic American, Irish American?
A. I would again object.
Q. You requested international mediation of the UN Aren't you concerned that just because of India's reputation as a democratic country, ("the greatest democracy in the world") This mediation will tilt in favour of India because its a democracy?
A. Well, we have demanded mediation, but mediation does not mean that we will automatically accept whatever the mediator concludes even if it is wrongfully tilting to the other side. We will certainly not accept it.
Q. Do you think that Pakistan, in general, Pakistani society, treats its minorities or different ethnic groups better or worse than India treats it own?
A. 200 times better! Q. 200 times better? A. If not more. I'm very sure of that and this is, again, an unfortunate wrong perception that Indians create against Pakistan, of our being not accommodating enough against the minorities and our having extremist attitudes towards the minorities. There is nothing farther than the truth.
Q. With the risk of irritating you, you said a short time ago that you would not be happy to see your daughter marrying a Catholic or a non-Muslim. Doesn't this reflect some kind of intolerance towards,...
A. No, I would beg to differ. This is not intolerance. I would love to interact with anybody of any religion and I have been interacting. I have been abroad and I've been interacting, in fact, let me tell you that when I was at the Royal College of Defense Studies, I respected the Israeli officer very much and my interaction with him and also with his wife was very pleasant. So I have no intolerance against any kind of interaction. But when it comes to marriages that you are talking of, now this is a totally different issue. There are cultural differences involved and there are societal differences involved and therefore that is the reason when I said that I would not like my daughter to be married to a Hindu Indian, that doesn't mean that I am intolerant. I interacted very well with the Indian Hindu officer who was there on the same course. He was my neighbour and we interacted very well with him.
Q. You point a finger at the media, saying that the media tilts strongly toward the Indian side?
A. Yes. Certainly. I strongly believe that this is the case. There are a lot of Indians in the media, controlling the media and that is the unfortunate part, they distort facts. Actually perceptions that are not the reality.
Q. You are speaking about Indians who work as English journalists in England, and American journalists in America? Are you claiming that their heart is really with India? A. First of all there are a lot of Indians in all places in the international media .... television, newspaper .
Q. Sure. There are talented Indians.
A. These Indians do have actually an interest themselves, and they also influence others, those who are around them, those of other nationalities.
Q. A plebiscite was offered in Kashmir by the United Nations in 1948. Do you still want it?
A. Yes. Certainly. That is our position.
Q. Now, going back to what you said before, If the results would be pro-India, would you still accept them?
A. Well, I am more than hundred percent sure that the (plebiscite-R.L.)results will not be pro-India.
Q. What if the people of Kashmir will vote for independence?
A. There's no room for that. They have to vote either for India or for Pakistan.
Q. Kindly mention to me the four countries that are good friends of Pakistan.
A. Okay. Number one, China. Turkey. Saudi Arabia. Abu Dhabi.
Q. Abu Dhabi is not a very big country.
A. (Here the Pakistani Ambassador suddenly joins in, and corrects his chief executive: "UAE, United Arab Emirates, and the chief executive accepts.)
Q. You don't count the United States as one.
A. Well.
Q. I said "good" friends.
A. We have been good friends but not all that. ..
Q. Do you think that the nuclear weapons now present in both India and Pakistan make the sub-continent more, or less secure?
A. More secure, I think.
Q. The people of India and Pakistan have shared a history of several thousand years, shared language, shared cuisine, music and common culture. Yet, there are more Muslims remaining in India than there are in Pakistan. Is that true?
A. Population wise, is this true. I don't think it is true that India has more Muslim than we have. But I would like to comment on the first part when you talked about our history and our commonality. I do beg to differ. Our history is totally different. Our heroes are their villains and vice-versa. Our culture is absolute the opposite. They consider cows as their gods. We slaughter cows and eat them .
Q. Didn't India's culture stem partly from the area of what is Pakistan now?
A. No. The Buddhist culture originated from Pakistan. But the Hindu culture did not originate from Pakistan.
Ranan R. Lurie is a Senior Adjunct Fellow with the CSIS, The Washington based think tank, the political cartoonist for FOREIGN AFFAIRS magazine, and an internationally syndicated political analyst/cartoonist http://www.foreignaffairs.org
[This message has been edited by mohabbat (edited October 24, 2000).]
-- just look at his views on Hindus -- so much for being Pakistan's Attaturk 
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