'Musharraf's survival will depend on army chief'

REGARDING OUR NEIGHBOUR: M K Narayanan says the army will remain the power centre in Pakistan.

        

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I know that in 1988 when she met with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi she made a number of promises. We know almost certainly that she was sort of curbed by the military at that point but whether she will have success now is difficult to believe and it would be very optimistic to expect that she can fulfil whatever she says but we hope that she will do her best.

Karan Thapar: Now Musharraf, as you yourself indicated earlier, is hoping that the new assembly will not only ratify his election as President but more importantly indemnify the Emergency that he declared and the steps that he has taken under that Emergency. But if Benzair Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif as you have already named were to end up with 50 per cent or more of the seats in the national assembly, which very easily they could, could Musharraf be in danger?

M K Narayanan: I think the Attorney General has just mentioned that before the Emergency is lifted they are going to put in place a whole series of measures.

Karan Thapar: And won’t those need to be indemnified by the new assembly?

M K Narayanan: It is going to be ticklish issue but I think the point is that if there are measures to indemnify the President or President’s actions, then overturning them, even by an assembly unless it an overwhelming majority, is going to be difficult. I think one should read real horoscope and not the political horoscope I am talking of because if they do legally put in some measures it is not going to be easy for even an elected parliament unless it has a four-fifth of a...

Karan Thapar: Assuming President Musharraf does continues, he overcomes the obstacles that he is facing and establishes a good relationship with the Army Chief, are you confident that by some time around the middle of 2008 he can pick up on the peace process with India and take it forward?

M K Narayanan: That’s what we are hoping. I think there are things which are in the pipeline, or which are still cooking or half cooked or three quarter cooked which we would like to take forward. The point really is that it is not really taking it forward. Would he be able to convince the other power structures that have come up in addition to him that this is best thing for Pakistan? That is a question mark. But we are hopeful that if by that time he has overcome all the obstacles, he would have a degree of credibility and acceptance which would make it easier for him to do so.

Karan Thapar: So in a word, he remains, despite all the problems associated, India’s best bet at the moment?

M K Narayanan:I think even in your previous interview you had mentioned this. Mr Thapar, the point is that we will deal with whoever is in place in Pakistan because we are quite conscious. We cannot pick and choose whom we deal with. If the people of Pakistan— with whatever measure, or mechanism they have chosen to make him the President—we will deal with it. We have dealt with him in the past and that experience, as our Prime Minister has said, has not been something which we are uncomfortable with and so we will go forward with it.