"For us India is the source of threat. Before our two countries became nuclear powers, our policy had been based on the principles of control. India then became a nuclear power and the balance of forces was broken. We had to restore it. If the world wanted us not possess nuclear weapons, they should have made India stop," Gen Musharraf said in an interview to the leading business daily Kommersant today.
Urging Iran to adhere to non-proliferation, he said that Tehran was not threatened by any country.
"As for Iran, tell me who is threatening it? Is it Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey or the Gulf countries? An issue of nuclear weapon is based on the evaluation of threats for a certain country.
We advocate non-proliferation and stand for getting the region of South Asia free from nuclear weapon and we will back down from nuclear weapons in case India will do the same," he said clarifying Pakistan's position on Iranian nuclear issue.
"I would like to say that we have the right to obtain nuclear weapons and demand that Iran should adhere to the non-proliferation regime," he noted.
Emphasising Pakistan's role in fighting terrorism in the region, Gen Musharraf said that struggle against terrorism and extremism should be fought on three levels including the global level, in the framework of the Islamic world and in each and every country.
On Russia-Pakistan relations, he said that the Russian foreign policy was fully focused on India preventing the raising of bilateral relations to a new level.
"The fact that Russian foreign policy is fully focused on India is an obstacle for improving relations between Pakistan and Russia.
For example, we cannot purchase helicopters Mi-17, because you do not want to offend India," Gen Musharraf said "Our relationship should be built on a purely bilateral basis and it means that no third country should interfere it," he added.
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