Stop empty boasting, says Musharraf

NEW DELHI, JULY 1. Distancing himself from the belligerent stand traditionally taken by Pakistani army generals and former Prime Ministers, the President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, has wondered what was the need for Islamabad to think in terms of hoisting a green flag over the Red Fort in India when the country's economy was causing worry and needed immediate attention.

Speaking at a conference in Islamabad, he ``pointedly asked the bearded audience why they felt the need for challenging India constantly and promising to the Pakistani people that they would soon fly the green flag over the Red Fort,'' the Pakistani weekly newspaper The Friday Times said.

The paper said Gen. Pervez Musharraf ``spoke from the heart and the mind'' and his message was critical of the attitudes of some people attending the conference on Prophet Mohammed.

Deviating from his written speech, Gen. Musharraf asked the audience ``what is the need for this empty boasting when the country is in a delicate situation economically and there is hardly a shred of unity or consensus on anything at home?.'' He was referring to the verbal outbursts of the Deobandi warriors of Kashmir Jehad when he questioned the wisdom of using violent language against the states which were the main source of the foreign investment Pakistan desperately needed, the paper said.

- PTI

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