Author:
Publication: Reuters
Date: February 5, 2002
Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, Feb 5 (Reuters)
- Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, who has vowed to turn
Pakistan into a moderate Islamic state, invoked a verse from the Koran
on Tuesday to claim divine authority for his rule.
His remarks appeared aimed at countering
criticism of a crackdown on radical Islamic groups launched last month.
"I tell these people, who have become
the custodians of Islam or who think that they understand Islam better,
that it is Almighty God who gives honour or authority to anybody," Musharraf
said in an address to the state parliament of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
"This is our faith that God almighty
gives honour to whoever He wants and snatches honour from whoever He wants.
If this is our faith then God Almighty has brought me to this position."
The president, who seized power
in a bloodless coup in October 1999, appealed to the Pakistani people to
have trust in him and his government and vowed not to let them down.
"This position, this authority has
been bestowed by God and as long as I hold this authority, and whatever
work I am doing with full responsibility, all Pakistanis should have confidence
in that because this is our faith," Musharraf said.
