How I got it

women to try and restore our country to its place in the community of nations. After these events, I desperately wanted an interview with General Pervez Musharraf. My objective was to help reveal the person behind the persona. It took some time to establish a line of communication with his secretariat, but a few weeks later I was sitting on a loose appointment to meet the man who reluctantly came to power and is now heading the government of Pakistan. In the beginning, the people of Pakistan believed that General Musharraf was going to perform miracles. Slowly, they have come to realise what a minefield of problems the new government has had to negotiate and that miracles do not happen overnight. It would be safe say the support of the people is still with the Musharraf government, although now tempered with realism. The peoples' support on accountability and documentation of the economy has grown stronger as the months have progressed.

While I was still waiting to hear from General Musharraf's office to confirm the appointment, I received a call from Lord Nazir Ahmed's office inviting me to join his delegation to represent Pakistanis living abroad. I was delighted and accepted the invitation. I packed my bags quickly and got on to a British Airways flight with Lord Ahmed to Islamabad. Our meeting with General Musharraf was set for noon on June 1.

We arrived in Islamabad on May 29, 2000, and were received at the airport by His Excellency, the British High Commissioner in Islamabad. A lunch was scheduled at his residence at high noon. During the next two days, numerous events were planned as Lord Ahmed made his way to the valley of Kashmir with a documentary film producer who was working on the violation of the human rights of Kashmiri people. Meanwhile, I remained in Islamabad.

June 1 arrived and we were picked up from the hotel and driven to General Headquaters (GHQ) where our meeting was to take place. It was surprising that throughout our drive, no guns were visible; there were soldiers in the compounds around the GHQ, but no weapons were on display. The gardens around these compounds were landscaped and blooming with different colours of flowers and a heartening variety of roses. It did not feel like we were anywhere near the headquarters of a military government.

We arrived at a simple but graceful building housing the Commander-in-Chief's office. The General was still in a meeting so we were conducted, by some officials, to a waiting room. We waited a few minutes and were served tea and had a pleasant chat with Brigadiers Nadeem Taj and Amjad. I was not sure what the markings and insignias on their uniforms signified and mistakenly believed them to be colonels and so I addressed them as such. They did not mind my ignorance and smiled and informed me that they were both brigadiers. Again, there was a relaxed bonhomie which just didn't fit the picture of an authoritarian military regime. This is what sets General Musharraf's interregnum apart from all others that have preceded it - this regime is people friendly.

I have done many interviews in the past, and I assumed that we would be asked to submit questions prior to the interview to prevent any possible embarrasments. To my great surprise, no restrictions on this meeting were imposed. This was a welcome sign and yet another indication of the openness of the regime. I felt confident that we could have a challenging discussion with the General.

A few minutes later we were ushered into General Musharraf's office, which is situated a few meters from the reception area. We entered the office and I was expecting General Musharraf to be standing by his desk, but he stood by the door, shook hands with us and welcomed us to his office and to Pakistan. It was very relaxing to see him introduce himself in such a friendly manner.

Towards this, a better understanding of the issues, General Musharraf asked for a meeting to be organised between Lord Ahmed and the Interior Minister Lt Gen (retired) Moinuddin Haider the next morning. It was impressive to see a military man so open to discussion and so quick to take charge on an issue. We touched on various topics but the most important issue raised was Pakistan relations with India and the situation in Kashmir.

When General Musharraf began to speak about Kashmir, we could hear the sincerity in his voice and could tell it was heartfelt. Pakistan's agenda for peace can only proceed once the major road block with our neighbour is cleared, General Musharraf said. We are striving for peace with India, but the Indian government shows no interest in talking or resolving the issue. The General stressed that the 1.2 billion people off the Subcontinent are kept poor because of this conflict. People of both countries, he said, want peaceful co-existence, but the silent majority of Indians desperate for peace and stability find no voice through corrupt politicians.

General Musharraf reiterated his governments willingness to engage India in dialogue of any format, so long as the wishes of the Kashmiri people are respected and Indian atrocities cease. He said that although Pakistan was seeking peace, any peace must pledge to end the fruitless years of conflict with renewed action for prosperity and the eradication of poverty in the region.

General Musharraf, stated his government is unwavering in its pursuit of peace, and looks forward to achieving these goals through negotiations and renewed attempts at mutual understanding..

for our lack of resources, pointing the finger at corrupt politicians who looted and transferred billions of dollars to foreign bank accounts. The present government plans to retrieve these funds and invest it back in the country and its people. This is an uphill fight, the General reminded us, because the thieves have taken a great deal of care in hiding their tracks.

These people can go to the ends of the earth to hide, but the people of Pakistan will bring them to justice through determination and commitment. His message was "You can run, but you cannot hide."

Facing growing criticism of intangible results, Musharraf was anxious to emphasise the achievements of the government in eradicating terrorist activities and drug-related crime. Pakistan, long considered a sanctuary for terrorists and drug smugglers, will not tolerate the image any more.

Law and order in general, the General said, is one front where things have improved dramatically. With the help of the people, the government will continue to strive for greater and greater security within the country, just as it attempts to ensure regional and global security.

The freedom of speech is a birth right of the people, and General Musharraf commented that the press in Pakistan has never been freer and that the government will do everything possible to maintain that, restricting interference from governmental agencies. Freedom of the press is vital to the nation, and a healthy trend that the government's policies intend to encourage.

On the issue of sales tax and the documentation of economy, the government's commitment, he said, is unquestionable. Economic recovery is impossible without it. Nevertheless, the government is willing to be flexible with the issue and aims to work together with the business community to come up with feasible solutions.