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Musharraf prepares comeback bid with new party
LONDON : Former President Pervez Musharraf set out his plan on Friday to return to politics in his country with the launch of a new party to galvanise his support.The retired general was due to unveil the All Pakistan Muslim League in London to contest the next elections in 2013, although he told the BBC he would return from Britain before then.
“I am in the process of creating an environment — the stronger I am politically, the more ground there will be for me to go and protect myself also,” Musharraf told BBC radio.
He brushed off the threat of treason charges he could face on his return, but admitted there were “other dangers”, including assassination attempts from Islamists, who twice tried to kill him when he was in power.
“I’ll take the risk, but I’ll take the risk at the right time,” Musharraf said, adding: “I won’t wait until 2013.”
Musharraf said the insurgents could be defeated, but warned Western plans to pull their troops out of Afghanistan would be counterproductive as it would “boost” homegrown extremism that was inspired by the Taliban.
“I think they can be defeated, but if I have any doubts on whether we can win, I would say it’s been a failure of leadership in the United States and Europe… and a failure of leadership in Pakistan,” he said.
“Nobody is telling the people who are demanding their soldiers to come back that this will be their worst decision, it will be a blunder. People here or in the United States think you are fighting somebody else’s war.” afp
Courtesy www.aaj.tv