Under attack from the West for clamping Emergency, President General Musharraf wore the shield of "learning" and told them not to demand of Pakistan their level of democracy.
The General, while taking on his critics, also compared his situation with that of former US president Abraham Lincoln.
Trying to send a message to the world, especially the US, European Union and Commonwealth, Musharraf said, "To the critics and idealists, I would like to say please do not accept or demand your level of democracy which you have learnt over four centuries."
"Please give us time. Please do not accept the same level of civil liberties and human rights that you earned over centuries. We are also learning. Please give us time," he said in an apparent effort to blunt calls by the West for rapid restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
"We are trying to learn and we are doing very well. Please give us time," the General said.
"I would ask you to kindly understand the criticality of the situation inside and around Pakistan. Pakistan is on the verge of destablisation," Musharraf said.
Comparing his situation with that of Lincoln, Musharraf read out his quotation justifying imposition of martial law in 1864.
"The justification was a necessity," he said. Quoting Lincoln, he said life cannot be put to risk for a limb and sometimes a limb has to be amputated to save life.
