EVER GREAT PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN

EVER GREAT PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN, originally uploaded by www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com.

* "For 44 years, I have protected this nation without thinking of my
life,"he said.
*
**
*"Pakistan first has been my philosophy,"* newswires citied Musharraf as
saying.

*"On the map of the world, Pakistan is now an important country, by the
grace of Allah,"* Musharraf said, as the speech continued.

*"I appeal to all elements to adopt an approach of reconciliation so that
there is political stability and we can firmly confront the real problems
facing the country,"* Mr Musharraf said in a TV address ahead of Thursday's
Independence Day

*"It's my appeal that we should adopt a reconciliatory approach so that
stability should return,"* he said.

Asked late Wednesday whether he would stay in office to help the country,
Musharraf told a group of well-wishers, *"God willing, I will try."*
**
*"When I took over, nine years ago, this country was on the verge of being
declared a terrorist state, on the verge of becoming a failed state,"* he
said.

*"No impeachment or charge-sheet can stand against me. But I think this is
not the time for individual bravado-this is the time for serious thought. In
the interest of the country, I have decided to resign,"* he said.

*"Pakistan first has been my philosophy,"* Musharraf said, adding that he
had worked in "good faith" in the face of challenges including militancy and
economic problems.

*"We should all put aside our differences and work to make Pakistan
strong,"* he said.

In one of the his conversations that were secretly tapped, the author
claims General (retd) Musharraf warned Benazir Bhutto, *"You should
understand something. Your security is based on the state of our
relationship."*
**
*"For me it is always Pakistan first"*, Musharraf said and added that
politics of confrontation must come to an end and instead a policy of
reconciliation be pursued

The former military aide to Mr Musharraf said: *"The army is neutral but is
expecting him to resign. It will then influence his honourable safe passage
as the army's senior leadership would not want him to be punished"*.

*"Every Pakistani is with our brothers and sisters in Srinagar. Kashmir
beats in the heart of every Pakistani,"* President Musharraf said in an
address to the nation during the "Azadi Show" event at the Presidency on the
eve of Pakistan's*...*
**
* "I am leaving with the satisfaction that whatever I could do for this
country I did it with integrity," Musharraf said.
*
**
* In his resignation speech, Musharraf said that "Some elements prefer
personal interests to national interests. They leveled baseless allegations
against me. They deceived the people."

He said Pakistan was passing through a "difficult phase in its history"
.
"I don't want the people of Pakistan to slide deeper and deeper into
uncertainty," he said.

Showing no signs of relenting, Musharraf said he has "sufficient official
records to expose the failures" of the ruling coalition and accused Sharif
of carrying out "personal vendetta" against him.

"We must let petty differences be subordinated to higher values of life and
strive together for making Pakistan a truly modern, dynamic, progressive and
democratic Islamic state in accordance with the ideals of our
founder,"Musharraf said.
* **
Khurram Gardezi
(www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com)