Musharraf: 'Pakistan is more important than human rights'

[Does not Musharraf thinks himself to be more important than Pakistan or the people of Pakistan??]

David Edwards and Nick Juliano | The Raw Story, February 14, 2008

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf made clear that he does not respect western human right standards and would not make a priority of upholding them.

"Pakistan is more important than human rights," Musharraf said recently during a global economic forum in Sweden. "Human rights serves Pakistan; Pakistan does not serve Human rights."

A video of Musharraf's comments was released by Human Rights Watch. He is answering a question from a HRW representative who is questioning widespread reports of human rights abuses in Pakistan.

Musharraf accuses his questioner of trying to impose a "Western Human rights considerations and standards" on Pakistan and seems to argue his country would be thrown into turmoil if it upheld such standards.

"[Human rights] functions in accordance with our environment," he said. "Now if somebody, whether he's anybody, is trying to create such anarchy that maybe Pakistan's integrity is at stake maybe our economy ... will collapse. I don't consider any human rights in such situations. We will deal with it, whatever it costs because Pakistan is more important than human rights.

Continued . . .