The Hindu : Front Page : “India will continue to do business with Musharraf”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 16, 2007
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“India will continue to do business with Musharraf”

New Delhi: India regards Pervez Musharraf as an “elected President” of Pakistan and a “credible interlocutor” with whom it will continue to do business, says National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan.

In an interview to Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN’s programme “Devil’s Advocate,” Mr. Narayanan spoke of a “grudging respect” for the manner in which General (retd.) Musharraf had managed to overcome his previous struggles.

“He’s moved from a military President to a civilian President. He’s managed to see there is no boycott to the election to the Assembly. To some extent, he has managed to ride [it out]. At least definitely in the short term it should be possible [for him to succeed].”

Mr. Narayanan, who responded to questions on the turmoil in Pakistan and its implications for India, said: “I think as of now he [Musharraf] is an elected President but the legitimacy of his presidentship will have to be declared properly after the new Parliament approves of it with a two-thirds majority.”

The National Security Adviser saw this as a clear possibility. “As things stand, it does seem possible he will be ratified with that majority ... we have done business with him in the past and I think we will continue to do business with him.”

On whether President Musharraf remains a credible interlocutor for India, he said, “Yes, by and large, he will remain a credible interlocutor to that extent.”

Mr. Narayanan felt that in the longer term, General Musharraf’s future depended on the Army standing united as well as loyal to him. As of now “I don’t see any signs of cracks in the system,” he said.

Mr. Narayanan described the new Army Chief, Ashfaq Kayani, a former ISI chief, as a “professional soldier” who was a “close comrade” of General Musharraf. Therefore, he was of the view that the relationship between President Musharraf and General Kayani would remain cordial. “How long is a matter [of conjecture] ... the basic point is how does a civilian President play out in Pakistan when the Army is still the dominant force? “This is something we will have to look at closely.” he said. — PTI

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