Friday, March 31 2006 16:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said the pace of improvement of relations with India was slow and it could move faster.

"The pace of improvement is not sufficient and it could move faster," Musharraf told the state-run Daily News here when asked about ties between India and Pakistan.

The interview was done in the backdrop of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's visit to Pakistan starting today.

Musharraf reacted sharply to a suggestion that he was a dictator, claiming that he was a modernizer and stabilizer of Pakistan.

"I am not a dictator. I was not a dictator or a harsh person even in the Army. Even then I believed in carrying along others with me and I continue to do so. Anyone can speak against me. Read our newspapers, watch our TV. Anyone can speak against me. What the opposition is telling. Just look at the media", he said, adding there cannot be media freedom in the country if he was a dictator.

Asked about terrorism, Musharraf said the funding for it must be dried up globally and its must be defeated.

Maintaining that he was against separatism in Sri Lanka, Musharraf said, "We believe and respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka".