Search the Internet          Tips

Musharraf confesses to lying

Pakistan military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf has confessed that he might have lied on a few occasions in life, but only in national interest, even as he admitted that diplomacy did not come to him naturally.

''In national interest, sometimes we have to tell a lie, and maybe I have told lies here and there in national interest, but it must have been apparent from my face (that I was lying),'' he said in an interview to the Khaleej Times Weekend.

Musharraf, who is considered a straight-forward person in Pakistan said, ''I don't think I can tell a lie. I don't think diplomacy, which here means distortion of facts, comes naturally to me at all. Certainly, this is not what I understand of diplomacy.''

''In my book, it (diplomacy) means putting things politely and palatably. It doesn't mean telling lies, covering up and distorting facts. Certainly, this is not what I understand of diplomacy,'' he said.

In a frank and candid interview, the military ruler talked about various facets of his life, including his love for the army, his philosophy of courage, his family and certainly his concern for out-of-control waistline, without touching on any political matters, like India-Pakistan relations.

He said he was concerned about his expanding midriff and pointed out that the business of running the country since the military coup in October 1999 did not provide him the luxury of indulging in much physical activity.

''Before the coup, I was regular on physical activity and socialising. Now, there is much more official work and much more socialising (of an official nature),'' Musharraf said.

Earlier, he would indulge in a lot of sports and play golf, badminton and squash, but the coup changed all that, he noted with a sense of regret.

The slump in physical fitness had left its mark on his midriff. ''I have put on a lot of weight,'' the general said, looking down with momentary concern towards the girth which had expanded.

Musharraf also admitted that another reason for his putting on weight could be that his sweet tooth always got the better of him. ''I have a very sweet tooth,'' he said.

He said his schedule, however, was lightening up now because ''my involvement (in the affairs of the state) has reduced because we are through with the planning and the strategies part and now the implementation part is in progress''. Tennis had, therefore, become a more or less regular activity although there were interruptions.

Musharraf, known for playing his cards close to his chest, said he was not very secretive earlier. ''I think I was not very secretive before 1993 when I became director general, military operations. I used to share my ideas and thoughts. Then I realised I couldn't do that anymore... so one learnt to be discreet. Absorb and and keep quiet.''

Musharraf said, he had always been natural in life without sounding boastful. ''I think my natural self is the best. I am comfortable with myself. I just behave normally, whatever I like, I like. Whatever I don't like, I don't like. I act as I please. I am being absolutely normal and natural.''

This tendency of being natural had often put his staff in a quandary. ''My security staff get quite flustered. I don't feel like a head of state. So I don't act like a head of state. The secret of my natural behaviour is that I actually forget being at the helm of affairs. I am never actually in the chief executive mode,'' he said.

The general admitted that he had never been an avid reader. ''I have never been a great reader. But in the army, I started reading military books. That was my job and I enjoyed reading about strategies and famous campaigns, though I still wouldn't call myself an expert on the issue. Now I enjoy reading about geo-politics and current affairs in newspapers and magazines.''

He said he was a firm believer in justice. ''I receive a lot of letters and sometimes I act on requests of people I don't even know. If the person has been wronged, one should do justice, whether I know him or not is immaterial.''

He said he kept telling his armed forces that there was a very thin line between courage and cowardice. ''When you are faced with a situation where your life is in danger, it is the first few seconds or maybe half a minute that divides courage from cowardice.''

He added, ''The first natural urge is self-protection and if you act immediately, you can do a cowardly act. But if you curb that natural urge during that half minute, you will come up with a very balanced response to what is happening, and you can shift to being courageous.''

Musharraf also said that he does not like new Indian songs and finds them 'very stupid and silly', but is very fond of the old ones.

''I don't like English music at all. And I don't like (the) new Indian songs. I find them very stupid and silly. But like the old songs very much,'' he said.

The military ruler, known for his love of music, said, ''I like Pakistani songs, but not the senseless ones. I prefer ghazals. Even though I may understand about 50-75 per cent of them, I still enjoy them. And I don't like pop music at all, other than the one by Junoon. They are different.''

He said he loved sufi music right from childhood. ''It is a passion I inherited from my mother,'' he said.

While his mother sang and played the harmonium, his father accompanied her on the tabla and family get-togethers would invariably turn into musical evenings, where the entire family participated.

UNI

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report