"I don't plan to come to India ever again," says Pervez Musharraf.

The former Pakistan President and Army chief, who was denied a visa by the Indian government, says he doesn't believe it was because New Delhi believed he was the main person behind Kargil. He also asks why he was reassured time and again that he would get a visa before the denial came.

"I have no words to explain my disappointment," Musharraf told The Indian Express over the phone, from his home in Dubai. "Meri ummeedon pe paani fer diya aapki government nay (Your government has dashed my hopes)... I think it shows a lack of confidence on the part of India to face me."

Pointing out that he had met both former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh after Kargil, the former General said he didn't believe his role in the war prompted the move.

"I mean, that's a very silly reason... All this rapprochement that I initiated has been washed down the drain. Why was I allowed to come three times between Kargil and now if that is the case?"

He says he is yet to be communicated the official reason for the denial of the visa. "I think the denial has come from either India's Ministry of Interior (Home) or Foreign Ministry. If it is Interior, they were wary of the law and order situation, or my comments on terrorism, Kashmir perhaps. Or could it be what I said on Muslim extremism being on the rise in India? I frankly don't know."

Even his comments on India's role in Balochistan  another reason being cited  are not new, Musharraf says. "I have been saying this for quite some time. If you read WikiLeaks, you'll know... It's not based on hearsay. Nawab Akbar Bugti's grandson Brahamdagh Bugti is being supported by India, I've known that for years and I told Bush about it. I told Karzai about it. What's new now?"

... contd.

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