Thaindian News

London, Sep 30 (ANI): Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said that the United States should continue its war against terror in Afghanistan, instead of going for negotiations with the so-called “moderate Taliban.”

Musharraf insisted the US and its allies should finish the job in Afghanistan, urging them not to negotiate with the “moderate Taliban,” as the Afghan government was attempting to do with their backing, The Guardian reported.

“There is no moderate Taliban,” he said.

“Show resolve, the message that ought to go to the Taliban is we will finish you, instead of a message … we have to get our boys back. This is a weak message,” he added, criticising the prevailing sentiments that the soldiers should be withdrawn from Afghanistan and sent home.

Musharraf’s solidarity with the US after the 9/11 attacks has made him quite unpopular in Pakistan, and a target for the Pakistani Taliban and other extremists.

However, he condemned US drone strikes in the country as a “complete violation of the sovereignty of Pakistan”.

But Pakistani leaders have long been suspected of tacitly approving the strategy but then speaking out about them in the face of public opposition, the paper said.

Musharraf, who came to power by ousting the then Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, in a bloodless coup in 1999, said that the Pakistani military should have a defined role in the constitution, although it should not be given the power to overthrow governments.

“If you want stability, if you want checks and balances in the democratic structures of Pakistan … the military ought to have some kind of role,” he said, adding, “Democracy has to be tailored for it’s environment.”

Musharraf is all set to launch his new party- the All Pakistan Muslim League- as he attempts a comeback into Pakistani politics, this time as a civilian. (ANI)