Musharraf denies writing off loans of influentials

Former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf has denied writing off loans of any affluent or influential individual.

However, answering questions on Facebook on Saturday, he said he had written off loans of those affected by natural disasters in Balochistan and Sindh in 2000, victims of the 2005 earthquake and the 2006 floods, and as part of an agriculture reforms package for the poor.

Musharraf also denied charges of handing over Pakistanis to the US or any other country for interrogation. He said those taken into custody by the US were captured in Afghanistan. “Our policy was clear: Pakistanis will be tried in Pakistan whereas foreigners will be handed over to their own countries first and in case of refusal (which was invariably the case), will be handed over to the US.”

To a question on his return to Pakistan, Musharraf said he would surely come back. “The timing, however, is of the essence,” he remarked.