Cricketer-turned-politican Imran Khan reveals on BBC World's HARDtalk Pakistan that he was wrong to support General Pervez Musharraf immediately after he had seized control of the country in a coup in 1999. The episode will be aired tonight (24 March) at 10 pm.

The chairman of the Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice) Party and former national cricket captain also accuses the American president, George W Bush, of risking the lives of the Pakistani soldiers who are currently searching for al-Qaeda suspects "just so Bush can win his election."

On his backing of General Musharraf five years ago, Khan says, "It was definitely a mistake and I have always accepted it. Not only me - a lot of people in Pakistan made a mistake, because we saw General Musharraf (as an) intelligent, articulate man who gave the right message in Pakistan. His seven-point agenda was one which all of us accepted and thought this would change Pakistan. Unfortunately, when General Musharraf went off those seven-points, by the time we realised that it was another power struggle rather than a movement for change, it was too late."

He also claims the President's handling of the scandal over the leaking of nuclear secrets was poor. "General Musharraf went on television and openly said, 'I know there is evidence against two of our scientists and we punish them.' Who is he to punish them? It is up to the judiciary. What about the right of defence (people have) to prove their innocence? I think this just smacks of dictatorship and it was badly done. It has harmed Pakistan."

Khan is equally harsh on the United States for its support of General Musharraf. "The Bush government will say anything to support General Musharraf because Pakistan is doing its dirty work in the tribal areas, where it's killing its own people (and) its own soldiers are dying to pursue the mess made by Americans in Afghanistan. That's why they will support him. Look at all the media, all the anti-Pakistan forces, all the forces that were against Pakistan's nuclear programme; look at what's coming out in the papers - so what has this achieved?"

Khan married the English heiress Jemima Goldsmith in 1995. He may be considered hypocritical after criticising the elite of Pakistan for imitating Western culture and then sending his own children to school in Britain and socialising with the international jet set.

To this allegation Khan retorts, "If you marry someone from another culture, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. If my children at the moment happen to be studying in the UK it is because my wife happens to be doing a Masters degree there. Yes, they are small children, so they will be with their mother."

Speaking further on the subject, he says, "Of course, I think a cross-culture marriage is very difficult... it can be disastrous. But it's very difficult. It's very tough to sustain it. And here is me... I went in at a mature age, not as a young boy, with my eyes open, knowing that it was going to be very difficult."

Pressed on the rumours that continue to appear in the media about the future of his marriage, he replies, "That speculation has been for eight years. Ever since we got married there has been speculation that the marriage won't last... mercifully we have defied the speculation so far."