ISLAMABAD, May 6: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has said that constitutional role for the army in the future setup is being considered.

In an interview with a German newspaper Die Welt, the president said that in Pakistan’s politics, the army had always played an important role. In the past, the head of the army had always been called to help when there were problems between the president and the prime minister.

“So why should be so shy and not institutionalise this reconciling role?” he asked.

“We are considering constitutional role for the army, and we are not ashamed of it. We are very realistic - I believe in realism, not in idealism, which leads to nothing,” he said.

In his first interview after the referendum, the president talked about the internal situation of Pakistan and its role in the geopolitical game. He also talked about Afghanistan, Kashmir and democracy.

To a question, President Musharraf said that he wanted to eliminate extremism from the country with an iron hand.

Gen Musharraf said: “There are people who don’t agree with what I am doing. I tread on many people’s toes, especially when I take action against extremists.”

When asked that he had created enemies by doing this, the president said: “I have never hidden, I lead quite a normal life, I go jogging, do sports.”

“I believe in fate. I have already looked death into the eye several times, and I have come out of it alive. I don’t worry,” President Musharraf said.

About religious extremists in Pakistan, the president said we had religious extremists but they were a minority. None of the religious parties had ever got more than five per cent vote.

“Pakistan is an Islamic Republic, the majority is religious but not fanatical. Most have had enough of the extremists’ acts of violence,” he said.

When asked despite ban on the five most important religious groups, most of the leaders had since been released again, Gen Musharraf said only those against whom we did not have evidence had been released.

In the Daniel Pearl murder case, he said, all the involved persons were behind bars as well. If there is different information in the West, this is simply wrong. “I want to eliminate this extremism at any cost and with an iron hand.”

When asked why did he want a referendum, the president said: “I thought the people were sovereign. I think that if somebody goes to the people and asks them for their opinion, that is the highest form of democracy.”

However, the president made it clear that referendum was not about a bid for power at all.

“In the past few months, I have been observing a certain tendency,” he said.

Gen Musharraf said that Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto from abroad were trying to influence the atmosphere here negatively. They invest a lot of money in a targeted slandering campaign.

When asked to compare Gen Zia’s referendum with the present one, Gen Musharraf said one could not compare the two situations.

“There are many differences: first of all, at that time there were no political problems, thus no necessity for a referendum. Today, on the other hand, massive reforms are on the way, which have absolute precedence over everything else and which must not be interrupted,” he said.

When asked whether he believed that the international community would be convinced, President Musharraf said: “For me, it is much more important that a true democracy will come into being in Pakistan.”

“The world has to let itself be convinced by my words, because I have never lied. I have opened up a way, and I follow it,” he said.

The president said that the international community would see that in October there would be free and fair elections, and then we would have the true essence of democracy in Pakistan.

“In order to make this possible, the referendum was necessary. Not for my personal megalomania,” he said.

About chances of concentration of power in one hand, Gen Musharraf said there have to be checks and balance between the head of the army, the president and the prime minister, so that none of them transgresses his boundaries.

This is exactly what often happened in Pakistan. Since in terms of constitutional law, there was no answer to a political crisis, he said.

“We want to institutionalise a method to deal with such problems. Therefore, we have come up with the idea of a National Security Council. But we have not decided about the precise composition,” Gen Musharraf said.

To a question about manipulations in referendum, the president said that the talk of manipulation was to harm him. “Let me be honest: I’m not even saying that there were no irregularities. But why are only those on my side being talked about?”

About return of Benazir Bhutto, president Musharraf said she didn’t leave because of me. She ran away because she was facing prosecution for corruption.

“If she comes, she will be taken to court, and justice will take its course. And if she really comes, it is, moreover, not even clear whether she is actually qualified to be a candidate. We want educated people in power. And her level of education is unclear to date,” he said.

About his government’s biggest success, the president said the biggest success of his regime was the economic rebirth of Pakistan. “We are not out of the woods yet, but it is getting better.”—APP