Musharraf is destroying democracy in Pakistan: Imran Khan
Dated 31/8/2005
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London, Aug. 31 (PTI): Accusing President Pervez Musharraf, of being a stooge of America, cricketer-turned- politician Imran Khan, has said the General is "destroying" Pakistan's democracy by using the war on terror.
"Pakistan's greatest problem is not the radical Islamists but its power-crazed President," 52-year-old Imran Khan said in an interview published in a daily here.
"Musharraf is destroying our democracy by using this war on terror. Why did he put 700 people behind bars when Pakistan had no connection with the London bombings? In the world's eyes, Pakistan became a hub of terrorism. And at home, it reinforces the idea that Musharraf is a stooge implementing an American agenda," he told the 'Guardian.'
According to the report, after the 1999 military coup, Khan was one of the general's most ardent supporters, so much so that he claimed he was offered the Prime Minister's job. "I was charmed by him. I believed this was a man who could set our country straight, end corruption, clear out the political mafias," he said.
But after a blatantly rigged referendum in 2002 extended Musharraf's grip on power, the myth "began to shatter," Khan told the daily.
"Here was a man who claimed to support democracy and he was rigging the elections, just like (former dictator) General Zia had."
Imran Khan's most famous stand came last May when, brandishing a story in 'Newsweek' magazine about the desecration of the Quran at Guantanamo Bay, he declared to journalists that Islam was "under attack," a widely publicized gesture that inflamed sentiment across the Muslim world. Khan remains unapologetic.
"To throw the Quran in the toilet is the greatest violation of a Muslims' human rights. Should we close Amnesty and the Red Cross because they bring up violations?" he asked. "When you speak out, people react. Violence is regrettable, but that's not the point."
