LAHORE, Nov 13: Facing an increasing pressure from world leaders to lift emergency, President Gen Pervez Musharraf has asked the West to choose between Pakistan and democracy.

“Is democracy more important than Pakistan?” he put the question to an American TV channel in an interview on Tuesday.

“When the nation is about to be declared a failed state, tell me whether the (restoration) of so-called democracy is important or efforts to save the country,” he asked and then himself replied: “Of course it is important to save the country.”