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Lahore: Following denials by US President George Bush and his aide Richard Armitage of the alleged threat to bomb Pakistan, many believe General Pervez Musharraf had exaggerated the US warning.
They feel it was a publicity stunt to boost the sales of his upcoming autobiography In the Line of Fire which is expected to be launched today in New York.
According to Sardar Asif Ahmad Ali, a former foreign minister of Pakistan, Musharraf's astonishingly blunt claim about the American threat could have been part of a massive publicity drive for his autobiography.
Substantiating his view, he pointed out that Musharraf had cited a book deal during an appearance with Bush on Friday to avoid talking about the purported US threat.
With his autobiography due to be marketed today, Asif said, Musharraf has apparently managed to plug his book while smoothing diplomatic waters after talks with Bush on their partnership in the war on terrorism and efforts to combat a Taliban resurgence.
According to Aitzaz Ahsan, a former interior minister of Pakistan, Gen Musharraf's claim was the best advance publicity possible for a volume of political memoirs.
He said it is interesting to note Gen Musharraf cited a book contract with his publishers to dodge a question about the purported US threat to bomb his country if it did not cooperate with the US after the 9/11 attacks. Aitzaz said Musharraf told a packed audience he was honour-bound by his publisher not to answer until his autobiography is released which, he noted, comes out today. He pointed out that soon after Gen Musharraf's answer, Bush had quipped: "Buy the book is what he is saying."
However, Sherry Rehman, the central information secretary of the Pakistan Peoples Party, says Gen Musharraf had not signed a confidentiality agreement with publisher Free Press.
She says that contrary to the general's claim that he can't speak on the contents of the book, the fact remains that the publishers of the book are the ones who had arranged his interview with 60 Minutes, in which he disclosed the threat. According to the publisher's website, Gen Musharraf also has interviews scheduled with National Public Radio, NBC's Today, Meet the Press, and Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, she said.
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