US ‘help’ must to move on J-K: Gen

Asked how progress could be made on the J-K issue, he said: ‘‘Nothing is going to happen if there is no sincerity. So what nonsense is this that there is no issue. That is where, I would say, the US comes in. US involvement, really, must be there.’’ On infiltration, he said he had assured the ‘‘whole world that there is nothing happening on the LoC.’’

‘‘As far as training camps are concerned, what is happening inside Pakistan is to be left to us to handle. And when we talk of response, I am talking of initiation of a dialogue on J-K. If they don’t want to de-escalate, they can remain on the border.’’

On whether he felt the referendum on his rule with all its irregularities was a mandate for him to continue in office, he said: ‘‘I know with all my conviction there was massive vote of confidence in me.’’

About his changing both the election rules and the constitution, Musharraf said: ‘‘It is meant to ensure the essence of democracy. Where the people govern and the government is for their betterment.”

He sought to scotch speculation that the President is going to decide everything. ‘‘No sir, he will be resting easy. I am going to play a lot of tennis and squash.’’ Observing that democracy does not have set rules for every country, Musharraf said he was trying to create a system that worked for Pakistan.

Asked whether Pakistan can get away from the economic woes of the past without a resolution of the J-K problem, he said: ‘‘Yes, of course. We are a powerful nation of 140 million people. But our economy is not compatible with our military strategy. It has to be balanced’’.