Dr Singh a nice man for Pakistan: Musharraf

Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who had several meetings with Indian leaders during his nine-years at the helm, feels Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is a "nice man" for his country. Musharraf, who met Dr Singh a number of times, including during his visit to New Delhi in 2005, said he liked the Indian prime minister.

"Dr Singh is a nice man for Pakistan," said Musharraf, who has been living outside the country since early 2009, during an interview with Dawn News channel in Dubai. Musharraf quit as Pakistan president in 2008 to avoid being impeached by the Pakistan People's Party-led government.

After a failed bilateral summit in Agra in 2001, Musharraf returned to India in 2005 when his meeting with Dr Singh resulted in a joint statement that described the peace process between the two countries as "irreversible". The two leaders had first met in 2004 in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting. They later met in 2006 in Havana on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit.

Though he praised Dr Singh, Musharraf was not as generous to Pakistani leaders. Asked to name his favourite Pakistani leader, Musharraf quipped: "I, myself." After a pause, he named former President Ayub Khan.