NEW YORK, Nov 10: The United States almost sent its special forces into Pakistan to destroy the safe havens of Al Qaeda and Taliban in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks and again in 2008, but was thwarted by caveats from military leader Pervez Musharraf, writes former US president George W. Bush in his memoir “Decision Points” released on Tuesday.

Praising Musharraf's leadership time and again, Bush writes: “He (Musharraf) told me that sending American troops into combat in Pakistan would be viewed as a violation of Pakistani sovereignty. A revolt would likely ensue. His government would probably fall. The extremists would take over the country, including its nuclear weapons.”

Bush relented: “In that case I told him, his soldiers needed to take the lead.” He expresses satisfaction at the arrangement. “For several years the arrangement worked, Pakistani forces netted hundreds of terrorists, including A Qaeda leaders...”

Bush goes to note that Musharraf also arrested A.Q. Khan, father of Pakistani nuclear bomb, for “selling components from country's nuclear programme on the black market”.

In return, the US lifted sanctions and the Congress provided $3 billion in aid to Pakistan. Over time, it became clear that Musharraf either would not or could not fulfil all his promises.

Part of the problem was Pakistan's obsession with India, Bush said. “In almost every conversation we had, Musharraf accused India of wrongdoing. Four days after 9/11, he told me that Indians were trying to equate us with terrorists and trying to influence your mind,” he said.

As a result, the Pakistani military spent resources preparing for war with India, Bush wrote.

A related problem was that the Pakistani forces pursued the Taliban much aggressively than they pursued the Al Qaeda. “Others wanted an insurance policy in case America abandoned Afghanistan and India tried to gain influence there,” he said.

In 2008, Bush says he changed his mind and instead ordered the deployment of drones. Ending two years of silence, Bush has come out with a number of revelations in the book. He says that post-9/11 some in the Pakistan intelligence services maintained ties with the Taliban and provided them safe havens.

Whatever the reason, the Taliban fighters who fled Afghanistan took refuge in Pakistan's tribal regions and populated cities such as Peshawar and Quetta. In 2005 and 2006, these sanctuaries aided the rise of the insurgency.

By the middle of 2008, Bush said he was getting frustrated with the continued existence of extremist sanctuaries in Pakistan and again thought of sending his special forces to the country.

Bush refers to a meeting with the Special Forces in Afghanistan in 2006. “Mr President, we need permission to go and kick some ass inside Pakistan,” a force official is quoted as saying in the book. But this time again, Bush says he decided against sending troops inside Pakistan and ordered the deployment of drones inside Pakistan.

He also labelled Musharraf an unreliable and reluctant partner in the war against terror. Musharraf' uniform Bush who through his term in office admired Musharraf also writes about the time he told the general to take off the uniform. He writes: “My meetings with President Musharraf focused on two overriding priorities. One was his insistence on serving as both president and the top general, a violation of Pakistani constitution. I pushed him to shed his military affiliation and govern as a civilian. He promised to do it, but wasn't in much of a hurry.”

The former US president writes: “As the insurgency (in Afghanistan) worsened. Hamid Karzai became furious with Musharraf. He accused the Pakistani president of destabilising Afghanistan. Musharraf was insulted by the allegation. By the fall of 2006, the two were barely on speaking terms. I decided to step in with serious personal diplomacy. I invited Karzai and Musharraf at the White House in September 2006. When I welcomed them in the Rose Garden they refused to shake hands or even look at each other. The mood did not improve when we sat down for dinner in the old family dining room.”

Bush continues that as his Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condi Rice and his National Security Adviser Steve Hadley watched, Karzai and Musharraf traded barbs. At one point Karzai accused Musharraf of harbouring Taliban.

“Tell me where they are”, Musharraf responded testily.

“You know where they are”, Karzai fired back.

“If I did I would get them”, said Musharraf.

“Go do it”, Karzai persisted.

Bush writes that he started to wonder if the dinner had been a good idea.

“I told Musharraf and Karzai that the stakes were too high for personal bickering. I kept the dinner going for two and a half hours, trying to help them find common ground.” But, Bush writes: “After a while, the venting stopped and the meeting turned productive.”