Withdrawing from Afghanistan a disastrous mistake?

In an exclusive talk with US newspapers, he also denied that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was providing secret support to the Taliban.

When asked whether the US and its allies might be seen as weak because of the prolonged debate over sending more troops to Afghanistan, Musharraf said, ‘Yes, absolutely…By this uncertainty and lack of commitment to a victory and too much talk about casualties shows weakness in the American resolve.’

He said al Qaeda was less of a threat than the Taliban, which is growing in strength among the ethnic Pashtuns who straddle the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

‘We must win in Afghanistan,’ Musharraf said, warning that otherwise it would become a haven for al Qaeda as it was before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

‘Quitting is not an option,’ he said. ‘We should avoid any further delay.’

Musharraf suggested that US commanders should not pursue [the Taliban] in areas where they have the advantage, but ‘draw them into areas where the US coalition has the upper hand.’

‘The Taliban move with bread and onions,’ Musharraf said, and do not require the elaborate logistical support that US troops do.

Musharraf conceded that insurgents cross the border but said that money and weapons flow primarily from Afghanistan into Pakistan and not the other way around.

He further rejected claims that the ISI was still assisting the Taliban in order to hedge against a US withdrawal and oppose Indian interests in Afghanistan.

‘I don't think that is correct at all,’ Musharraf said. ‘ISI acts upon orders received by the government. They never go against government policy.’

When questioned about Pakistan's previous support of the Taliban, Musharraf said that the government had no other option after the defeat of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan but to recognise the Taliban because a rival movement – the Northern Alliance – was being supported by India and other opponents of Pakistan.

‘Is it in our interest to be on the side of the Taliban now? No,’ he added.

Musharraf also denied reports that the Pakistani government had any knowledge about nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan selling nuclear weapons materials and designs to Iran, North Korea and Libya.

Noting that Dr. Khan was considered as a ‘hero’ by the ordinary man on the street in Pakistan, the former president said dealing with him became the biggest challenge for his government. ‘It was the most difficult situation I ever confronted when the news was revealed,’ he said, but denied that the Pakistani government was complicit in Dr. Khan's nuclear black market.

‘It is absolutely wrong to think that the Pakistan government was involved in the proliferation,’ he said. ‘It was his individual decision and action.’

He said that Pakistan was bearing the brunt of the mistakes committed by the West during last 30 years in the form of extremism and militancy in the country