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Musharraf Appeals for National Unity, Says Islam not Target
ISLAMABAD, Sept 19 (News Agencies) - Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Wednesday appealed for national unity against elements he said would try to exploit the crisis between the United States and neighboring Afghanistan to plunge the country into anarchy.
Speaking on national television in Urdu, Musharraf urged people to listen to reason instead of the emotive language emanating from religious political parties.
"I'm the chief of the Pakistan army and my first priority is the defense of Pakistan. The rest follows after," he said.
"Some elements want to take advantage of this [crisis] to pursue personal or party agendas. They want to create anarchy and damage the country.
"I appeal to the people of Pakistan to show unity and solidarity against these elements and not let them succeed. Pakistan is a fort of Islam, and God forbid this fort is damaged."
Musharraf's appeal was aimed at winning the support of a skeptical population for his decision to offer Pakistan's support for possible U.S. military action against the Afghan Taliban regime and their "guest", Osama bin Laden.
It came against a background of mounting opposition to his handling of the crisis, led by religious parties who have vowed to join the Taliban in a
jihad, or holy struggle, against the United States.
He called for Washington to show "balance and patience", but confirmed that it had requested the use of Pakistani airspace to hit bin Laden.
Wearing his military uniform as general and chief of the armed forces, Musharraf said Washington had also asked for "logistics support" and intelligence.
Saudi-born dissident bin Laden is Washington's prime suspect in last week's devastating attacks in New York and Washington, but Musharraf confirmed that the Taliban was also a target for U.S. attack.
"Bin Laden was a suspect from day one. His terrorist network Al Qaeda ["The Base"] is America's main target," he said. Their second target is the Taliban, who they believe are harboring the bin Laden and his network.
"Among these three targets, there is neither Islam, nor Afghanistan."
Pakistani religious leaders reacted angrily to Musharraf's speech.
"This is the first time Musharraf has tried to behave like a religious leader, but he disappointed the nation," said Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of the pro-Taliban Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) party.
"He may have lost the battle with the Americans, but we will not disappoint the people and will not hand over our land to U.S. forces."
Earlier Wednesday, Western embassies began sending family and non-essential staff out of the country in fear of widespread unrest from religious groups.
Pakistan has been a close ally of the Taliban since before the militia seized the Afghan capital Kabul in 1996.
But in the wake of the attacks in the United States, Musharraf sent a special delegation to tell the Taliban they would face terrible consequences unless they handed over bin Laden immediately.
"I say with sorrow that our friends have not listened to us," he said.
"How can we save the Taliban? Can we reduce the risk by going against the international community or by going with them? I'm confident that we can achieve success by going with the international community."
Pakistan's top mainstream religious body, the Pakistan Ulema (scholars) Council, called for a struggle if Washington attacked Afghanistan, while thousands of seminary students marched through the streets of Peshawar and Karachi in support of bin Laden.
"The Pakistan Ulema Council has called for a jihad against America and its allies if they attack Afghanistan. The attack will be an act of terrorism," the council said in a religious decree sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The fatwa from the ulema council - the most important Islamic body in Pakistan, which includes senior clerics from all branches of the majority Sunnis - indicated Musharraf has failed to win the support of the country's religious leaders.
It said Bush had made a serious mistake when he said the United States was launching a "crusade" against terrorism around the world.
"President Bush, by announcing a crusade, has fuelled the sentiments of the entire Muslim community. He should take his words back," it said, adding that last week's attacks could have been the work of Israel's intelligence service.
The U.S. ambassador in Islamabad, Wendy Chamberlin, said Washington was fully aware of the delicate balance of forces in Pakistan.
"You will find that we will stand by our friends who stand by us. We are currently talking about any number of ways to be responsive to Pakistan as they have been responsive to us," she said.
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