Musharraf: In the Line of Fire

Pakistan's President Tells Steve Kroft U.S. Threatened His Country

(CBS)  Most heads of state wait until they are comfortably in retirement before sitting down to write their memoirs, but in the case of Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf there are no guarantees that he will live long enough to have one.

The book is appropriately called "In the Line of Fire." It presented correspondent Steve Kroft with the opportunity to sit down with Musharraf in Islamabad and talk about things that he has never or rarely spoken about: including threats made by the United States after 9/11 to enlist his support against al Qaeda and the Taliban, and Dr. A.Q. Khan, the Pakistani hero who sold Pakistan's most sensitive nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

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Pakistan, with its nuclear weapons and Islamic militants, has been called the most dangerous country in the world, and one of the most dangerous places in it is riding in the motorcade of President Musharraf. Twice suicide bombers have tried to blow it up, killing 14 people in the process. Both times, Musharraf barely escaped.

There have been half a dozen plots on his life. Why are so many people trying to kill Pakistan's president?

"These people are extremists, terrorists, they believe in forcing their views on others. So, I’m standing in their way, frankly," Musharraf says.

"The suicide attack. You discovered that most of the plotters were from the Pakistani Air Force," Kroft remarks.

"Yes," the president replied.

Asked if that disturbs him, the president acknowledges, "It did. It's all the lower ranks. They are susceptible to such extremist, terrorist tendencies and to be indoctrinated to do these things."

That indoctrination is part of a rising tide of anti-American sentiment, aggravated by Musharraf’s cooperation with the United States in the war on terror, an alliance that was forged on Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, Pakistan was one of a few countries supporting the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which harbored Osama bin Laden. The U.S. made it clear that that relationship would have to end, and Musharraf says the message was delivered by then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage in the most undiplomatic terms.

"The Director of Intelligence told me that he said, 'Be prepared to be bombed.' Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age," Musharraf remembers.

What was his reaction?

"One has to think and take action in the interest of the nation and that's what I did," the president explains, adding that he thought it was a "very rude remark."

Armitage disputes the exact language, but doesn’t deny that the message was strong. Musharraf says he believes his director of intelligence and says he took it as a threat.

"It was a threat, certainly," Musharraf says. "I took it that the United States, after having whatever happened to the World Trade Center, would be a wounded country – a wounded sole superpower and they are going to do anything to counter and to punish the perpetrators. Now, if we stand in the way of that, we are going to suffer."

[watandost]

People of Pakistan are enjoying more democratic freedoms today than ever before. due to good governenca and sound and prudent policies of President Musharraf and his government, economy is thriving and progreess is being made in every other field.
Given the current demography of the country where 60 percent of the population lives in rural areas under a feudal or tribal system. Western style democracy can only succeed in a society where an individual voter is free to make a choice.
East Asian countries like Korea, Taiwan or even China proivde a better example to follow, where
political stability over many years plus sound economic policies have produced economic miracles.

[osamaishomo]

Correction ...

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS A TERRORIST! HE IS NOT A GREAT MAN WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW GOD AND HIS FAITH. HE HAS LESS HONOR AND INTERGITY THAN ANY LEADER ANYWHERE. OSAMA IS NOT MY HERO AND HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE OPPRESSED AND SUFFERIING. OSAMA IS AN EVIL PERSON UNLIKE RICE OR ANY OF HER KIND CHURCH MEMBERS AND THIER MUSIC. OSAMA IS OF THE LOWEST LEVEL WHILE THE CHURCH AND GOOD LOVING FOLKS IN THE USA ARE PURE AND GOOD AND THEY KNOW MUCH OF THE TRUE GOD AND JESUS. THEY REPRESNT JESUS TO A HURTING DYING WORLD. I HATE OSAMA BIN LADEN. BURN IN HELL OSAMA AND SINCE THE USA HAD TREATED ME SO KIND IN THE 90S IN CALIFORNIA, I LOVE TO HATE YOU AND OTHER FALSE LEADERS! THANK GOODNESS YOU ARE DEAD. The church music rocks and is just wonderful not devilish unlike that Bin Laden group. They never caused me to be injured and they never laugh and call me names in california. Bin Laden is the hypocrites and is NOT nice and good-they are very wonderful and loving and they will never hurt anyone who is a threat to thier music and wonderful life. The priest live like the poor and never spoil themselves wit luxury. they ARE saved and they know much of the true Jesus of the gospels. Amen!

[osamaishomo]

Correction ...

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS A TERRORIST! HE IS NOT A GREAT MAN WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW GOD AND HIS FAITH. HE HAS LESS HONOR AND INTERGITY THAN ANY LEADER ANYWHERE. OSAMA IS NOT MY HERO AND HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE OPPRESSED AND SUFFERIING. OSAMA IS AN EVIL PERSON UNLIKE RICE OR ANY OF HER KIND CHURCH MEMBERS AND THIER MUSIC. OSAMA IS OF THE LOWEST LEVEL WHILE THE CHURCH AND GOOD LOVING FOLKS IN THE USA ARE PURE AND GOOD AND THEY KNOW MUCH OF THE TRUE GOD AND JESUS. THEY REPRESNT JESUS TO A HURTING DYING WORLD. I HATE OSAMA BIN LADEN. BURN IN HELL OSAMA AND SINCE THE USA HAD TREATED ME SO KIND IN THE 90S IN CALIFORNIA, I LOVE TO HATE YOU AND OTHER FALSE LEADERS! THANK GOODNESS YOU ARE DEAD. The church music rocks and is just wonderful not devilish unlike that Bin Laden group. They never caused me to be injured and they never laugh and call me names in california. Bin Laden is the hypocrites and is NOT nice and good-they are very wonderful and loving and they will never hurt anyone who is a threat to thier music and wonderful life. The priest live like the poor and never spoil themselves wit luxury. they ARE saved and they know much of the true Jesus of the gospels. Amen!

[osamaishomo]

Correction ...

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS A TERRORIST! HE IS NOT A GREAT MAN WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW GOD AND HIS FAITH. HE HAS LESS HONOR AND INTERGITY THAN ANY LEADER ANYWHERE. OSAMA IS NOT MY HERO AND HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE OPPRESSED AND SUFFERIING. OSAMA IS AN EVIL PERSON UNLIKE RICE OR ANY OF HER KIND CHURCH MEMBERS AND THIER MUSIC. OSAMA IS OF THE LOWEST LEVEL WHILE THE CHURCH AND GOOD LOVING FOLKS IN THE USA ARE PURE AND GOOD AND THEY KNOW MUCH OF THE TRUE GOD AND JESUS. THEY REPRESNT JESUS TO A HURTING DYING WORLD. I HATE OSAMA BIN LADEN. BURN IN HELL OSAMA AND SINCE THE USA HAD TREATED ME SO KIND IN THE 90S IN CALIFORNIA, I LOVE TO HATE YOU AND OTHER FALSE LEADERS! THANK GOODNESS YOU ARE DEAD. The church music rocks and is just wonderful not devilish unlike that Bin Laden group. They never caused me to be injured and they never laugh and call me names in california. Bin Laden is the hypocrites and is NOT nice and good-they are very wonderful and loving and they will never hurt anyone who is a threat to thier music and wonderful life. The priest live like the poor and never spoil themselves wit luxury. they ARE saved and they know much of the true Jesus of the gospels. Amen!

[osamaishomo]

Correction ...

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS A TERRORIST! HE IS NOT A GREAT MAN WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW GOD AND HIS FAITH. HE HAS LESS HONOR AND INTERGITY THAN ANY LEADER ANYWHERE. OSAMA IS NOT MY HERO AND HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE OPPRESSED AND SUFFERIING. OSAMA IS AN EVIL PERSON UNLIKE RICE OR ANY OF HER KIND CHURCH MEMBERS AND THIER MUSIC. OSAMA IS OF THE LOWEST LEVEL WHILE THE CHURCH AND GOOD LOVING FOLKS IN THE USA ARE PURE AND GOOD AND THEY KNOW MUCH OF THE TRUE GOD AND JESUS. THEY REPRESNT JESUS TO A HURTING DYING WORLD. I HATE OSAMA BIN LADEN. BURN IN HELL OSAMA AND SINCE THE USA HAD TREATED ME SO KIND IN THE 90S IN CALIFORNIA, I LOVE TO HATE YOU AND OTHER FALSE LEADERS! THANK GOODNESS YOU ARE DEAD. The church music rocks and is just wonderful not devilish unlike that Bin Laden group. They never caused me to be injured and they never laugh and call me names in california. Bin Laden is the hypocrites and is NOT nice and good-they are very wonderful and loving and they will never hurt anyone who is a threat to thier music and wonderful life. The priest live like the poor and never spoil themselves wit luxury. they ARE saved and they know much of the true Jesus of the gospels. Amen!

[osamaishomo]

Correction ...

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS A TERRORIST! HE IS NOT A GREAT MAN WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW GOD AND HIS FAITH. HE HAS LESS HONOR AND INTERGITY THAN ANY LEADER ANYWHERE. OSAMA IS NOT MY HERO AND HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE OPPRESSED AND SUFFERIING. OSAMA IS AN EVIL PERSON UNLIKE RICE OR ANY OF HER KIND CHURCH MEMBERS AND THIER MUSIC. OSAMA IS OF THE LOWEST LEVEL WHILE THE CHURCH AND GOOD LOVING FOLKS IN THE USA ARE PURE AND GOOD AND THEY KNOW MUCH OF THE TRUE GOD AND JESUS. THEY REPRESNT JESUS TO A HURTING DYING WORLD. I HATE OSAMA BIN LADEN. BURN IN HELL OSAMA AND SINCE THE USA HAD TREATED ME SO KIND IN THE 90S IN CALIFORNIA, I LOVE TO HATE YOU AND OTHER FALSE LEADERS! THANK GOODNESS YOU ARE DEAD. The church music rocks and is just wonderful not devilish unlike that Bin Laden group. They never caused me to be injured and they never laugh and call me names in california. Bin Laden is the hypocrites and is NOT nice and good-they are very wonderful and loving and they will never hurt anyone who is a threat to thier music and wonderful life. The priest live like the poor and never spoil themselves wit luxury. they ARE saved and they know much of the true Jesus of the gospels. Amen!

[rustynail74]

Yasmenk,
You need to get your facts straight. It seems as if you are some relative of either Nawaz Shareef or Benazir. It's unbelievable you are taking side of someone who put Pakistan on the path of destruction. Pakistan was on the brink of Bankruptcy and you say Nawaz Shareef was supposed to stay. Well, he got his chances not just once but twice. He did some intense damage to the country and should NEVER be allowed to do so in the future.
President Musharraf, we are with you. We are with you in taking our country to the path of success and prosperity by the grace of God.

[drgoodwin12]

For everyone that is against Bush because he deliberately mislead us into war in Iraq,go online and contribute $10,25 or any amount of money you can afford to the Democratic Party and do so before the elections.There are good republican senators like Specter and Warner however in order for this country to change course we have to change it's leadership first.It's crunch time for the elections and in order to restore this country we need new leadership in the house and senate.

[siraj098]

He is a great leader and as Pakistani American we are proud of him with the decissions he have made and had to make. abouve all he is not the treotor like Mrs. Banizir Bhotto who can sell the country for her own good. His policies are right in the direction to pakistan the next step of development. I hope the next leader after the allaction should follow the same foot step and bring the country togather rather then getting it devided as Bhottos did. I am not associated with any political party and have nothing personally againg Bhutto but I have read and experience enough to make my openion.

[yasminek-2009]

Letter:
We are American of Pakistani origin. We have a great respect for your program for its objective and unbiased approach to news and stories. It has come to our notice that you are inviting General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan to introduce his book, In the Line of Fire: A Memoir. The General is an unconstitutional president and came to power after a military coup in 1998. We understand that your interest in him is for war on terrorism and religious extremism. But here is the truth, he has sent a popular and secular leader, ex-Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif into exile and has not allowed another, Benazir Bhutto to participate in election. This has created a vacuum in Pakistani politics filled by religious parties, which he has been using to show the West that without him, Pakistan will fall into religious extremist%u2019s hands.

We are requesting that you don%u2019t promote his book. He should be condemned, instead, for imprisoning, exiling, and killing his political opponents. Please use your great journalistic skills to show the world who he really is: a military dictator who has little regard for human rights. Please also educate your viewers that on the one hand, we have gone to war in Iraq for democracy and on the other, our government is supporting a dictator in another country. I am certain you will not disappoint us on this important matter. Thank you for your time.

[frogger31]

Well....it is very obvious and a no-brainer that most of these comments and remarks have been posted by Indian fanatics and exiles from Pakistan and maybe even pro-terrorism groups.

Musharraf has given his limited resources and immense pressure done alot for Pakistan and it is he who has helped play a crucial role in busting terrorists in the region. There are a bunch of Muslims who migrated away from India, as they wanted their own place and not a philosophically messed up nation....So I dont think Musharraf can be blamed for that,
India and Indians, even Muslim Indians have this nasty philosopy to always blame it on others. They really envy the crucial relationship that has developed between US and Pakistan and would do or say anything to vandalize that.
I am proud of president Mush and our country and I will support him for sure.

[majid_sameni_sh]

God Bless America............if you have friends like Mush.........then you all Americans have to think about Jungles and Bush..........no Flowers with frinds like this.

[majid_sameni_sh]

World must come up with new ideas and leaders, these sick military man have ruined their own country...........how they would benifit US and Europe.....For God Sack............you americans are so innocent..........thats why you friends are unable to find him.......lets try to search him in Musharaf basement.

[seema0300]

Musharaf is not trust worthy , his family left their motherland India for better benfits he got them, he wanted name, fame and fun he made it with illegal and unconstitutional coup and with US backing. He put the US forces in quigmire (Afghanistan) and providing modren traing, weapons and shelter to Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
he knows World is taking back on Iraq, Afghanistan and he wants to show to the people of world that he wanted a peaceful solution and Bush threat us to bombed pakistan........He is lobying for NOBAL peace award....world should be careful of this all drama military people, he is good actor and he has prove himself fooling Americans for last six years.
Its time bomb pakistan and Musharaf, and free Afghans and Baluch people in the region and see how region will flourish........These military bustards are hurddle in democracy, development, and moderation.....ther is Al-Qaeda hidden behind Musharaf face....see Mahmood former ISI chief in shape of islamic preacher Tablighee, he is delivering Osama and Al-qaeda message around the world......Dear Americansits a wake up call....I have this fear this mentaly ill man handover ***-Chinese nukes to Al-Qaeda to create more terror....Pakistan is runing out of money .before 9/11 *** forex reserves were less then a billion US Dollars and after 9/11 Pakistan forex resrves shootup too 13 Billion US Dollars...Destruction and terrorism may be destructive for US and other civilized countries...but this has always benifted Pakistan.

[tomflint69]

maliani1, we are sad to know about your country Pakistan. We advise you not to loose hope and stay calm. Dont worry too much, you will say good days. You should be happy that India alo bought the centrifuges from AQ khan of your country, as your president Musharaf has told in his book. You should be happy that both India and Pakistan are same failed states; its not only your Pakistan.

[cbsswan44]

BLOGGER INTELLIGENCE ON MUSHARRAF: Musharraf came to power, after the former Prime Minister attempted to put him in jail. Because Musharraf was commanding general of the armed forces, the military supported his coup. Learning the lesson of another former Prime Minister, Benazhir Bhutto, a woman, who grew alienated from Islamic fundamentalists, and was deposed, Musharraf threw his support behind Bin Laden and the Taliban, in order to consoidate power. He's hiding them (Omar and Bin Laden) to survive.

[maliani1]

Pakistan Army and Al-Qaeda are two sides of the same coin. Pakistani intelligence agencies are destabilizing Afghanistan. Musharraf is basically telling US administration that they have to come to him regarding Afghanistan and that what Karzai cannot deliver we can deliver.

I am pretty sure that Pakistani army knows and is protecting Osama and Mullah Omar and other Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders.

Pakistan is a failed state and is the base of Al-Qaeda and Talibans.

[shabab_cc]

There are lot of questions being asked about America%u2019s double stand in the Middle East peace process. The very idea of Iran or any other states in Middle East state procuring/developing WMD is seen as a disturbing fact by the US led part of the world. Iran being supporting militant groups like Hezbullah and Hamas, it is definitely a point to be thought about. What if the nukes one day comes in to the hands of these non state terrorists, which is a major threat not just to the region, but to the entire world. Israel though they are not in the non proliferation treaty, the rest of the world sees it as a necessity that they should possess the nukes. But Iran is rejected from their ambition to acquire nukes because they back militant groups, which is pretty much justified. If that is justified, then how do you justify Pakistan processing nukes?

[shabab_cc]

conti...
Of all the major terror attacks in the recent world, it is hard to find any incident without a link to Pakistan. Osama the most wanted terrorist has his base in Pakistan. There are lot of militant groups in Pakistan. If the worrying fact about Iran having nukes after few years from now is troubling rest of the world, well%u2026then you should be more worried about Pakistan who is already having nukes, a terror run state which is having much more militant groups than Hamas or Hezbullah, a state which has already proved and admitted of leaking nukes technology to other states like N.Korea, Libya etc, a state which has already proved the efficiency of providing a training ground for all the successful terror strikes we have seen.

[shabab_cc]

Even though you are not in the non proliferation treaty, you can hold nukes because you are Israel, because you are a friend of US. Even though you have the best terrorist universities in the world, you still can have nukes because you are Pakistan, because you are a friend of US. Even though you are enriching Uranium for peaceful purposes, you should never ever never ever ever develop nuclear weapon, because you are Iran, because you are not in non proliferation treaty, because you back Hamas and Hezbullah and because you are not a friend of US.