Spokesman for the Pakistani Government, Major General Rashid Qureishi was interviewed by Channel NewsAsia's Gamar Abdul Aziz when he was in Singapore.

He shares his thoughts on the tragedy that was September 11 and how the world and particularly Pakistan has changed dramatically after that incident.

The whole world changed after 911 because of the sort of terrorist act that was committed then, perhaps had no parallel in the history of the world. Therefore, like the world, things in Pakistan also changed.

Frankly, before this act, the majority of the people in Pakistan, if not all, did not or had no idea, this sort of organisation, or the power that Al-Qaedah, fielded in the world.

There was a very rude awakening towards what could have been happening in a
neighbouring country, in Afghanistan. That was the first thing. The second was a
strange aura of disbelief because this came as a shock, many people did not believe that anyone who could be in such a backward country like Afghanistan was, at that time, could plan or execute such a thing.

In the society in Pakistan, also as well as the world, there was a realisation that extremism and violence had gone too far.