Musharraf blames Mehsud for Bhutto's assassination

Lahore, June 8 (ANI): Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has held the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud responsible for former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

In an interview to a private television channel, Musharraf rejected reports that he had offered the Prime Ministers' chair to Bhutto for her support.

Referring to the country's present turbulent situation, Musharraf said that some foreign countries were conspiring against Pakistan, and were trying to destabilize the country.

"They are sending arms from abroad in a bid to destabilise the country," The Daily Times quoted Musharraf, as saying.

When asked about the killing of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, Musharraf rejected the impression that Bugti was killed in a military operation.

"During the operation, our three army officers and other jawans found Bugti in a cave and they had requested him to lay down arms and at the same time the cave collapsed and he was killed along with our officers," he said.

Musharraf said the government was compelled to initiate a military offensive in Balochistan as extremism was taking dangerous proportions in the region.

"400 rockets were fired at Sui plant in a day and in such condition we had no option but to launch military operation in Balochistan," Musharraf added.

In a separate interview to German weekly Spiegel, Musharraf said that Pakistan's sovereignty was intact as long as its armed forces were intact.

"Pakistan could only be destabilised if the Inter-Services Intelligence and the army were weakened," Musharraf said.

Commenting on the Indo-Pak relations, which has hit an all time low after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Musharraf said he is willing to serve as a future ambassador for peace between both the countries if the two governments trusted him. (ANI)