Exclusive: Pervez Musharraf was our best man, says former RAW chief Dulat

Speaking about former Pakistan president and military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who burst into the political landscape in 1999, and his relationship with India, intelligence veteran and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat said Musharraf was the 'best bet' India had in the last 25 to 30 years to ease tensions with its neighbour, writes ETV Bharat's Saurabh Sharma.

New Delhi: Former Pakistan President and military leader Pervez Musharraf passed away in Dubai on Sunday. Landing in power via a coup that ousted the then Pakistan government led by Nawaz Sharif in 1999, the ruler had a chequered relationship with India. While perceived largely on the Indian side to be the person, who orchestrated the Kargil war the same year, it is under Musharraf that the two countries initiated peace talks - initially in Agra where the Pakistani leader met Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2002, followed by a summit meeting in Pakistan in January 2004.

Reflecting on Musharraf and his legacy, former spymaster and secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) from 1999 to 2000, AS Dulat, however, termed General India's "best man", opining that the latter had come to realise that cooperation with his immediate neighbour was key. An expert on Kashmir, Dulat was appointed as an advisor on J&K in the Prime Minister's office.

When enquired how he saw the future of Indo-Pak relations as well as prospects of peace here onwards, Dulat said Musharraf was India's "best bet" for the same. "Pervez Musharraf was our best bet in the last 25-30 years and he was our best man, who could have eased the tensions between India and Pakistan. He was extremely generous and he realised that friendship with India was the only good option. He could've also solved the Kashmir issue, to a certain extent only if the conditions were right back then," he said.

To a follow-up question related to the Agra summit's failure to make any advances in bilateral relations, the ex-RAW chief said both sides were equally responsible for the talks failing. Additionally, speaking about Pakistan's role in giving rise to the Mujahideen to fight global powers and their possible existence in Kashmir at the time, the ex-Raw chief stated that Musharraf based Pakistan's stance on Kashmir on what the locals wanted.

"The most significant thing that Musharraf kept saying was that whatever was acceptable in Kashmir by Kashmiris would be acceptable to Pakistan and that was the most reasonable statement," he said. When asked whether he felt the ex-Pakistan President was the 'last man', who would be able to secure peace in the Valley, Dulat refused to comment, instead noting Musharraf was "the best man when he was around".

When asked he believed the matter related to the contested territory between the two countries could be solved under Musharraf and PM Vajpayee, or subsequently, under Dr Manmohan Singh, the intelligence veteran explained that Kashmir was a complex issue and is not likely to be completely solved. "Under Musharraf's tenure, the issue could have been solved to a certain extent. If there were better deals, peace could be brought in Kashmir for the next 10 to 15 years," Dulat added.