Pak was not a scapegoat: Musharraf

In the backdrop of the United States calls asking him to combat Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces, President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday said Pakistan was not a 'scapegoat' and 'not vulnerable' to any pressure.

In his first reaction to the American media reports that US Vice-President Dick Cheney had sounded the threats to Pakistan when he travelled here last month, Musharraf said, Dick Cheney had not given Pakistan any threats.

"We are not sitting like scapegoats. But dialogue is held if there is any matter," Musharraf told media persons after a conference on United Nations peacekeeping operations at the National Defence University.

Cheney reportedly delivered the ultimatum during a surprise visit to Pakistan on February 27.

"We are not so vulnerable that anybody can exert pressure on us," Musharraf said.

He said Pakistan's strategy to deal with the issue of terrorism is in the right direction. He, however, admitted that sometimes technical problems appeared but they are resolved.

About the use of force against Iran, the President said Pakistan wants that Iran's nuclear issue be resolved through talks.
"If any attack against Iran is launched, we will have to face a lot of problems," he said, adding that Islamabad is making efforts to avoid any such development.