WASHINGTON—Former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf called U.S.-Pakistan relations “terrible,” but said the two countries must come together if they are to defeat terrorism and extremism. Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Musharraf argued that the 2014 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will have an adverse impact on Pakistan and that the country will have to take “countermeasures” to secure Pakistan’s interests in response.
In a wide-ranging speech, Musharraf stressed that Osama bin Laden’s hiding in Pakistan was the result of “terrible negligence” but not complicity and called on Pakistan to clarify why bin Laden was in Abbottabad. He also criticized what he termed as Pakistan’s leadership vacuum, defended the country's nuclear program, and discussed his plans to return to politics in 2012.
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Notes
Pervez Musharraf was president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Before that, he served as chief of staff of the Pakistan Army.