03-22-2007, 10:45 AM
Pervez Musharraf became president of Pakistan in October 1999 when he ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup. After September 11, the man that some in the United States once denounced as a "tin pot" dictator became, overnight, a pivotal player on the world stage and a very close friend of the United States. His willingness to work with the United States has come at a great cost back home. Many in Pakistan denounce him as a traitor and in March 2005, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Pakistan, declaring Musharraf unacceptable because of his pro-American policies. Read his complete interview with NBCâs Tom Brokaw below.