Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said the West needs an unbiased view of Islam and criticized India

CAMBRIDGE , Massachusetts , September 10 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf pledged unstinting support Sunday, September 8, for the U.S.-led war on terrorism, but warned of a growing anti-Muslim bias that threatened to split the Islamic world and the West.

In a wide-ranging speech at Harvard University ’s Kennedy School of Government, Musharraf also ruled out Pakistani involvement in any U.S. effort to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, took a swipe at archrival India and defended recent moves extending his military rule.

“There is concern among the Islamic nations over the emergence of widespread prejudice, in some cases xenophobia,” Musharraf said, warning against those who “have sought to sow the seeds of conflict” when greater understanding was needed.

He said the world needs a better understanding of Islam and the roots of terrorism, saying hate “must be stamped out with the same zeal with which the fights against terrorism is being pursued.”

“We must diagnose the malaise and treat the root causes of terrorism. What is it that conjures up such storms in the mind? What motivates a suicide bomber that his instinct for survival is overcome by a death wish?

“We must ensure the Islamic world and the West are allies in combating terrorism, and do not at any stage turn into antagonists confronting each other,” Musharraf said.

Pakistan ’s president is due to address this week's U.N. General Assembly in New York , which will be dominated by the issue of possible U.S. military action against Iraq .

Pakistan has played a frontline role in the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan to wipe out the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and Musharraf said he had enough to do securing the country’s borders and resolving internal problems without becoming involved in any conflict involving Iraq .

“ Pakistan has its hands full ... we don’t want to get involved in any other problems or issues around the world,” he said, while vowing to wipe out extremism at home.

“I remain determined not to allow a fringe element to hold the entire nation hostage and hijack our agenda of reforms.”

Pakistan has seen a chain of attacks on Christian and Western targets since Musharraf reversed support for the Taliban in Afghanistan , who had been trained, armed and financed by Pakistan 's military intelligence service.

Musharraf has allowed the U.S. to use bases in Pakistan to support the military effort in Afghanistan , shared intelligence, and cracked down on extremists within Pakistan .

Defending recent constitutional changes that extend his term as president and army chief by five more years, Musharraf said they were necessary to “rectify the weaknesses” in Pakistan ’s political system.

“They are designed to ensure checks and balances on all power brokers in the country, continuity in the reform agenda, and prevention of breakdowns in democracy,” he insisted.

The changes also allow Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 military coup, to sack an elected parliament.

“I am at the helm of affairs and I am extremely democratic,” he said. “You have to believe me when I say that.”

The president’s moves to secure his power base have raised questions over the validity of national elections scheduled to take place next month.

As well as his participation at the U.N. General Assembly, Musharraf will also, during his weeklong visit, attend a September 11 memorial service in New York and meet with his U.S. counterpart, George W. Bush.

After the United States and its Western allies shunned Musharraf after he seized power in a bloodless coup in October 1999, ties between Pakistan and the U.S. have become their strongest in nearly a decade and Musharraf made it clear in his address Sunday that he would be looking to secure more U.S. financial aid and debt relief in exchange for Pakistan’s support in the war on terrorism.

Pakistan has received more than one billion dollars in U.S. aid since November and Washington has already rescheduled three billion dollars worth of Pakistani debt.

The Bush administration has raised questions over Musharraf’s promised political reforms, but any criticism is likely to remain muted as long as the Afghanistan campaign continues.

Turning to India , the president said relations between Islamabad and New Delhi were at their “lowest ebb,” as the two nuclear rivals continued to trade artillery fire over the contested province of Kashmir . He denounced what he called a “relentless Indian campaign” to cast Pakistan on the “wrong side” of the terrorism issue, accusing New Delhi of running a global smear campaign to depict Pakistan as a terrorist state.

“Attempts to misrepresent Pakistan ’s position are sinister and motivated,” he said, highlighting Pakistan ’s frontline status in the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan .

Musharraf blamed Indian intransigency over Kashmir for the current military standoff on the Indo-Pakistan border, where a million troops from both sides have been eyeballing each other for months.

India accuses Pakistan of arming, funding and training groups battling New Delhi 's rule in Indian-controlled Kashmir , a charge Islamabad denies, saying it cannot control every group.

He also called on the United States to help intervene in the territorial dispute over Kashmir , which has already been the cause of two full-fledged wars between the South Asian nuclear rivals.

“There is grave risk and nothing to be gained from military brinkmanship,” Musharraf said, adding that the United States was in a “unique position” to help resolve the Indo-Pakistan standoff.

India is strongly opposed to any third-party involvement in the Kashmir dispute.

“ Pakistan has made major commitments and taken significant steps to ease the current crisis. India must take reciprocal steps,” he said, highlighting India ’s refusal to view Kashmir as the “core” dispute in their bilateral relationship.

In a clear reference to the Muslim insurgency in Kashmir , Musharraf warned of “emotive sloganeering” that ignored the root causes of terrorism.

“Is there any redress available to a people who fear repression and perpetuation of injustice in response to their legitimate demands for freedom and dignity?” he said. “These questions have to be faced and addressed.”

More than 36,500 people have died in the region since the beginning of the current conflict in 1989.

He also urged the international community not to be “misled” by coming elections in Indian-controlled Kashmir .

“There is no possibility that these can be free, fair, open, transparent and inclusive,” he said.

The staggered election to the Kashmiri state assembly is facing a boycott from supporters of the region’s independence or its association with Pakistan .

It is Musharraf’s third visit here since he emerged as a key U.S. ally in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks against the United States .

Both Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee are scheduled to address the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in New York , although the Indian leader has ruled out any meeting with the Pakistani military ruler.

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