LAHORE, Sept 17: Former president Pervez Musharraf has contacted two foreign security agencies to ‘take care of him’ in Pakistan on his return.
Musharraf is presiding over a meeting of his party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, office bearers from Pakistan, America, Canada and the UK in Dubai on Sunday (today) where he will give a final shape to his planned homecoming and party matters.
Though the former president has announced that he will return to Pakistan on March 23, 2012, some of his party men Dawn spoke said they would request him at Sunday’s meeting to review the situation in Pakistan before taking the final decision.
“Musharraf is keen to return home come what may. For the purpose, he is finalising his security arrangements in Pakistan with a US and a UK security agency,” APML spokesman Fawad Chaudhry told Dawn. He said the army would also provide Musharraf foolproof security. “However, the APML will not take any chances with regard to the security of its leader,” he said.
The former president will consult the office bearers about his plan to make Dubai the APML headquarters till his return.
“Musharraf is considering shifting to Dubai next month to look after party affairs from there,” Chaudhry said.
Some party men believe that court cases are the main hurdle to Musharraf’s return to Pakistan. However, in the hope to settle these cases before his return, Begum Sehba Musharraf has challenged an anti-terrorism court decision against her husband.
The Rawalpindi ATC ordered seizure of Musharraf’s property and freezing of his bank accounts besides declaring him absconder in the Benazir Bhutto murder case last month.
“Begum Musharraf has filed a petition against the ATC verdict, as the APML has unanimously decided that its head should face all cases in Pakistan so that he faces no case on his return,” the spokesman said.
At Sunday’s meeting, Musharraf will also take input and listen to the participants whose number is expected to be 50.
Of late, differences cropped up among APML office bearers, as Dr Sher Afgan Niazi, the senior vice president and diehard supporter of Musharraf, quit the party. Also, party’s Punjab information secretary Javed Badar resigned.
Niazi told Dawn the people around Musharraf were misleading him. “The party needs to be reorganised, as there has been great following of Musharraf here,” he said, denying he was returning to the party fold.
He said he would not suggest anything to the former president about his homecoming. “Musharraf is the best judge to decide appropriate time for his return,” he said.
Badar, however, said he resigned from his post because there was no political system in the party. “The APML has become a party of the elite and Musharraf should take note of it,” Badar said.
Fawad Chaudhry denied there were differences among party office bearers.
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