"No one else's bomb is called Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Capitalist and Communist, yet our bomb becomes 'Islamic' as if it make it illegitimate. The idea is illogical and essentially racist. This is an example of how Muslims continually feel unjustly singled out and alienated," he says in his just released book In the Line of Fire.

"The much stronger condemnation by the world in 1998 was surely because Pakistan was the first Muslim state to go nuclear. This is perceived in Pakistan as very unfair," he says.  

"Surely any state whose chief rival has the bomb would want to do what we did. After all we knew we could not count on American protection alone," he said.

Musharraf sought to defend Pakistan's acquisition of nuclear weapons as part of its policy of deterrence with India. "Once India went nuclear, our deterrent became untenable. We had to rectify this situation, come what may. Remember that this was only three years after the war of 1971, when India severed east Pakistan from us," he said.

Contending that nuclear weapons brought relative parity and peace between the two countries, Musharraf said India and Pakistan experienced relative peace between 1974 to 1998 after the wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971 even though the two countries fought "semi-wars" along the LoC, and Siachen with lower intensity.

"Since 1998, though we have not approached anything comparable to the conflicts of 1965 and 1971, we have mobilised significant forces twice, in 1999 and 2002.

"It may be that our mutual deterrent has stopped us from plunging into full-scale war," he said emphasising that "we must never let a situation reach the point of no return. We must resolve disputes over Kashmir for the sake of world peace."

Musharraf also acknowleged that Pakistan's nuclear programme began with AQ Khan bringing the much needed centrifuge designs.

"While Khan working as a metallurgist in a Dutch nuclear power company URENCO brought drawing of the centrifuges along with him when he quit it, Pakistan has acquired all other materials and technology through "underground network based main the developed countries and Europe," Musharraf said.

He goes on to claim that India was also developing its nuclear arsenal during these years. "Perhaps we are being supplied by the same network, the non-state proliferators."

The General contends that India acquired nuclear and later missile capability as it had "grandiose ambitions of projecting its power regionally and even globally and achieving hegemony over Gulf and South Asia and Southeast Asia".

More reports from Pakistan