Musharraf on the record

* The breakfast meeting: The controversy surprised me, especially in the information age. Misunderstandings have resulted from this, it was an innocent interaction. I shall take the Indian PM and the Foreign Minister personally in front of the Pak media when they come to Islamabad.

"I came back empty-handed but what started now can’t be stopped. People want peace."

* His Kargil-Bangla parallel: The soldier instinct in me had spoken out. But I want to close that chapter. We want warmer and closer ties with Bangladesh. I certainly would like to ignore (my remark).

* On derailing the summit: Hawks are everywhere in India as well as in Pakistan but as long as the vast majority are for peace, hawks can be ignored. Praising both Vajpayee and Jaswant, he sidestepped questions on Advani.

* On saluting Vajpayee in Lahore: All service chiefs were asked to reach Wagha. I told the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that we were in uniform and it would look odd in the midst of so many people in civilian clothes. I told him I will receive him (Vajpayee) at the Governor House. So I didn’t go to Wagha, I was the first to salute him when he got down from the helicopter.

"I was the first to salute Vajpayee when he got out of the chopper in Lahore. He is 20 yrs older than I."

Target audience:

* Jehadis: While he did condemn ‘‘extremists’’ on both sides, on terrorism in the Valley, he was clear: it was a freedom struggle.

* Kashmiri secessionists: K-word means not only Kashmir but
Kashmiris as well. He kept harping on a trilateral dispute and a
trilateral resolution between India, Pakistan and Kashmir.

* International community: No open grandstanding on who or what broke the talks, no public waving of the draft declaration as many apprehended.