Tuesday, September 26 2006 16:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Pakistan Pervez Musharraf has said he joined the war on terrorism only because it was in the interest of the country and not because someone put a 'gun' on his head and forced him into it.

He also denied that he is essentially walking both sides of the line when it comes to fighting terror.

""No, not at all," Musharraf said in an interview on NBC's 'Today Show", responding to a query on whether he was forced to go along with the US in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

"That is not the case. It is very clear and explained in the book that we did whatever we did in the interest of Pakistan. I'm not doing anything specifically for the interest of others. Basically, it is in Pakistan's interest that I took the decision and not -- it's not the case of somebody pointing the gun on my head or anything," he said.

"Because it's in Pakistan's interest, obviously it is -- my heart is in it. The whole nation's heart is in it... Obviously, I took a deliberate decision. I thought about it. It was a very serious decision that had to be taken. And the main issue that came into my mind was destabilizing a nuclear state and causing such destabilization... To the global environment," he said.

Musharraf, who met US President George W Bush last Friday and will again see him on Wednesday in a trilateral meeting that will include the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, brushed aside the feeling in some quarters that he is trying to walk both sides of the line" in the fight on terror with the end result being that he is hurting the objective.