Taliban has to be controlled in Afghanistan, not Pak: Musharraf

Claiming that half of Afghanistan was under the control of Taliban, former President Pervez Musharraf has said that extremist forces, including al-Qaeda, can only be totally purged if they are completely cleaned out from that country. "Half of Afghanistan is under control of Taliban. If you control here, if you are successful against Taliban and al-Qaeda in Pakistan, let me assure you that is not over. You succeed in Afghanistan, you will succeed in Pakistan," Mr. Musharraf said. "They are there because... they are getting all their military hardware through Afghanistan. The money comes through the drugs in Afghanistan. Arms come from Afghanistan,"he said. "So Pakistan is a victim of what has happened in Afghanistan. The world and the US and whatever discussion we've had is throughout as if everything is in Pakistan," Mr. Musharraf told CNN in an interview. Pakistan, he said, is suffering because of Afghanistan and not the vice versa. Mr. Musharraf claimed that it was only the ISI and the Pak Army that can deliver in the war against terrorism and if they fail the world would fail.

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