Bush keeps faith in Musharraf

Washington—US President George W. Bush has praised Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf for taking off his uniform as promised and reiterated his faith in him as an “absolute reliable partner” in the fight against terror. Acknowledging that “a lot of people doubted it would ever happen”, Bush told CNN: “He told me he would take off his uniform and I appreciate that he kept his word.
“I’ve also said that President Musharraf is a person who’s done a lot for Pakistan democracy, and in my judgment, in order to get Pakistan back on the road to democracy, he’s got to suspend the emergency law before elections,” he said. Asked if he still had a lot of confidence in Musharraf as a leader who will work with the US to find Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, presumably holed up somewhere on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Bush said: “He’s been an absolute reliable partner in dealing with extremists and radicals. “It’s a tough situation in the remote parts of Pakistan, (but) there are many examples of where the Pakistanis have - in cooperation with the US - brought to justice members of Al Qaeda’s hierarchy, and I am thankful for that,” he said.—Agencies