Pakistan

APML rally: Musharraf backtracks on return plans

Musharraf says he will come back only if his party is successful in a ‘show of strength’.

Abdul Manan April 18, 2011

LAHORE:

In an apparent backtracking from his party’s earlier stance, former President Pervez Musharraf has linked his return to Pakistan to the level of support his political party, the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), is able to muster.

The statement is in contrast to what a party spokesperson said on Friday when he announced that Musharraf would be returning to Pakistan by the end of the year, without giving any qualifying conditions for the return.

The former president was addressing a rally of APML workers in Lahore on Sunday and laid out the party’s three-stage strategy for making headway in national politics.

In the first stage, said Musharraf, the party would create liaison committees at the district and provincial level. In the second stage, the party would decide to conduct a “show of strength” across the country. If the first two stages are successful, then the former president would make the decision to return to Pakistan.

In the third phase, Musharraf said he would lead the party in a campaign for the 2013 general elections. He claimed that the party would be able to win an absolute majority in the National Assembly, though he hinted that the party was open to alliances with other “like-minded” political parties.

APML leaders attended a rally in Lahore organised by the Karachi-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), in what many saw as the beginnings of a potential alliance. Musharraf had cordial relations with the MQM when he was president.

Musharraf denied rumours that he had been trying to meet Nawaz Sharif, who was in London for medical treatment.

“Nawaz used to give enmity in exchange of sympathies and I never expect anything good from him,” said the former president of the PML-N chief.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (64)

Ahmad | 13 years ago | Reply @Adeel: After all the bluster of me distorting facts, all you could come up was one point. A single point. Which doesn't really negate mine. Just because industry grew because of increased commodity prices doesn't mean we're not going to accept that money. Why is industry hamstrung? Maybe because Mush didnt add a single MW to the grid in a decade. Electricity generation isnt increasing because of circular debt, debt left to us by Mush. You see, not everyone can be a dictator and get free dollars. The democrats always get loans while dictators get 'aid' and free equipment. WAPDA's chairman went to your leader, and told him about the dire need of adding electricity. He was, quite literally, told to shut up. And when Mush's electricity wizards were asked why they didnt expand the grid, their answer was: How were we to know that silting would take place? And increasing international commodity prices help growers and suppliers in agriculture, who are much better off, but we never read about that in the paper do we? As to your education point, here's India's definition of literacy, and remember, we were formed at the same time; they've had exactly the same amount of time as us. The working definition of literacy in the Indian census since 1991 is as follows: Literacy rate: The total percentage of the population of an area at a particular time aged seven years or above who can read and write with understanding. Here the denominator is the population aged seven years or more. Crude literacy rate: The total percentage of the people of an area at a particular time aged seven years or above who can read and write with understanding, taking the total population of the area (including below seven years of age) as the denominator. And naturally, you could go on, but you dont do you? That tells me something. And, fyi, its dumb, not 'damb'.

Amer | 13 years ago | Reply Mushy uncle you are playing games with us just like uncle Sam plays games!! Stop fooling us, we weren't born yesterday (at least not all of us ;) ), you are nothing more then a common criminal on the run now! What a pathetic existance! I bet your dogs enjoy living in London more then you do! LOL

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Ahmad | 13 years ago | Reply @Basharat Hayee: Majority of the Pakistanis are proud of him. Is that why they booted him out?

Adeel | 13 years ago | Reply @Ahmed...are you mad or what..what poor distortion of history and facts that was?? let me take just one of your point...the textile exports... do you know that exports of textiles may have gone up by 24% by the unit exports have remained the same and in some sectors have declined. It is just `cause of the increase in international prices...dont distort facts, go talk to any textile owner in faisalabad how times were then and are now (though they will still vote for Rana Sanaullah and Raja Ryaz). About education....can you tell me any other definition of being educated in the developnming world...come up with a definition of your choice and make a comparison even on that account.... Naturally i can just go on and on what whats the use when the audience is damb as you are.....pls dont lie!

Basharat Hayee | 13 years ago | Reply Because of many democratic political leaders' idiocratic and corrupted behavior, most of the people seem to have difficulty to judge who is right and who is wrong. From Quaid-e-Azam till Zardari and Gilani Gang, people talk in negative sense. I came across many persons saying that creation of Pakistan was a biggest mistake of Quaid-e-Azam. Same thing what Abul Kalam Azad, Abdul Ghafar Khan, Attaullah Shah Bukhari, Shorish Kashmiri, Abul Alla Maudoodi and many other hardcore Muslim Mullah said before and after the creation of Pakistan. So later, people saw the performance of all the political-Democratic leaders before President Ayub Khan. They were all immensely corrupt. President Ayub khan was bad because he ruled under Martial Law. Then Yahya Khan, another dictator, then Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto took the charge with a big split, created by him (as many people believe). He was toppled because of his faults and hanged, then another dictator,Ziaul Haq took over and sow the seeds of Talibanization, terrorism, hardcore Mullaism, Drugs, weapons. Then a long play of mouse and cat by Late BeNazir and Nawaz Shareef gang. Musharaf another dictator, and lastly, Zardari, a ten percenter and Gillani, aweek and sissy prime minister. So all are bad........... Nobody is good or praiseworthy. Folks! I tell you that President Musharaf came to put the country on right track, when the Shareefs made Pakistan, a Banana state. Mr. Musharaf never believed of dictatorship or long military rule. He wanted to bring a healthy and sustaining political sustem in the country. He definitely kept law and order in the country. Lal Masjid issue was dealt very witfully. Many soldiers got martyred in this operation. Right in the heart of Capital of Pakistan, some fanatic Mullah were challenging the writ of the country. Musharaf ordered to clean this mosque from such elements. Musharaf was absolutely right. His operation against Bugti Sardar was also fully justified. He did the best for the country. He is a patriot, a great soldier, one of the most intelligent politician of Pakistan. Majority of the Pakistanis are proud of him.

ehabs | 13 years ago | Reply Musharraf is such a coward, it's not even funny. He is an embarrassment to the Army and the Country.

Zahid | 13 years ago | Reply @Khalil Khan Noorzai and Rahman... You people are victim of hatred sown by your elders. The current situation of Pakistan is the result of the hatred as the ex and current leadership always tried to loot Pakistan's wealth. Now they are not getting any share due to the system made by Pervaiz Musharraf. The media exposes them and so as the mullah cultures. During Afghan wars they got bags of dollars for sending Madressah students to Afghanistan. Now these greedy people are trying to capture the resources of Pakistan. You said 90% Pakistani thinks who our enemies are.. You are right as mostly people have never got a chance a quality education, a quality healthy life and a good environment to prosper which PM gave and trying to give to the people of Pakistan.. How come those people will like this development and educated Pakistan who always thought to grab power by keeping majority Pakistanis away from civilised society. You need a good leader and vision to take you to your destination. Learn from history...Come out from the shell of hatred....

Ahmad | 13 years ago | Reply @MI: just because Musharraf was a dictator doesnt mean he did everything wrong. But that tribune blog post you copy pasted so conveniently has been widely discredited by a number of people. Especially since not even a single one of the original authors points had any credible link to confirm them. Now some things are obviously easy to confirm, such as GDP growth figures and so on and so forth. Some points to note, in random order: 1) Foreign reserves increased from $700 million to $17 billion. Musharraf got lucky when 9/11 happened. This resulted in over $20 billion of US aid that flowed to Pakistan to fight their war on terror as well as other aid packages, including an $8 billion oil deal with Saudi Arabia that was agreed on deferred payments, which means Mush didnt have to pay back a single cent of it. It has become this governments responsibility. 2) The Karachi stock market went from 700 points to 15,000 points. The biggest share in the KSE is represented by energy companies, mainly oil. Their stock price goes up when the energy companies' revenues increase through an increase in the price of oil. When that happens, our import bill skyrockets and we're screwed. So an increase in the Stock Market is not an indicator of good performance. This is true of any country in the world, see the US and European markets before the recession of 2008. In Pakistan the relationship is almost inverse. And btw, the Stock Market Crash of 2005 also happened during Mush's period. Where is the accountability for that? I quote a Businessweek article here: "The index plummeted 25% in just eight trading sessions after Mar. 15, producing the largest single-session decline in the market's history, 4.6%, that day." http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2005/nf200504229277db016.htm 3) The literacy rate improved by 11 per cent. Pakistan's barometer for literacy is knowing how to write your own name in urdu. Thats it. Which is why this number exists. Enough said. 4) Exports in 2007were worth $18.5 billion They are predicted to be $24 Billion this year, and were $20 Billion last year, and this is despite the floods, mind you. 5) Seven motorways were completed or were under construction, You say completed. Does that mean they were started during BB's and Nawaz Sharif's time? (It's a rhetorical question) 6) Textile exports in 2007 were worth $11.2 billion They grew 26% last year. (It was in today's Dawn) 7)The literacy rate in 2007 was 53 per cent See point number 3. 8) Pakistan now has a total of 245,682 educational institutions in all categories, including 164,579 in the public sector and 81,103 in the private sector, according to the National Education Census (NEC-2005). How many of them exist only on paper? How many of them are higher education institutes? And how many of those higher education institutes are actually recognized by the HEC (one of the few good things Mush managed). You didnt mention growth during his almost ten years, but im going to bash him for that nonetheless. The magical number that Shaukat Aziz so touted (always around 8%) was a fake number arrived at by changing the base year of the economy to 90/91 just to make the numbers look more impressive than they were. I could go on, but you get the point. Now here's my list of why Musharraf should not only come back but be convicted for treason and hanged (preferably right in front of GHQ where a memorial should be constructed as a reminder to every COAS what happens when you try your hand at politics). Feel free to refute: 1) Murdering Akbar Bugti. How would Mush like it if I walked up to him on Edgeware road and decided to kill him on a whim? And people, before vilifying me no end, remember that Akbar Bugti was born in 1927, knew Jinnah personally, was involved in the Pakistan movement, fought for Baloch rights since 1947, but was screwed over by every successive government (mostly dictatorships) and then decided, that after a half century of fighting he was fed up with the idiots (i use this euphemistically) in the centre and started a separatist insurgency. Over his more than 50 year fight for Baloch autonomy, he was much more of a patriot than the coward who murdered him will ever be. 3) Letting BB die, and then covering up her assassination. And then having the balls to blame her for it. 4) Judiciary Debacle. Enough said. 5) Handing over Pakistanis to the US. And boasting about it in his book by telling us he made millions of dollars for us, later redacting the section after some people took 'slight' offense at the whole thing. 6) The US Pakistan Alliance. I personally supported that, but he screwed both sides by taking money from the US to kill Taliban and then using much of that money to subsidize daily necessary commodities(food and oil) especially around election time, an unsustainable policy. The removal of said subsidies (the correct economic policy) is now being trumpeted as a failure of the present government. And he didnt kill the Taliban like he promised to do, and now everybody knows where that landed us as a country. We're screwed. Not to even say anything about the Drone attacks. 7) Fiscal situation in 2008. When Musharraf left, Pakistan was the only country in South Asia, which was facing deficit of budget, current account deficit coupled with high core and food inflation rate. Something which continues even today, and people wrongly blame this government for it. 8) In the interest of full disclosure my next points are also derivative, but checked at source, the Federal Bureau of Statistics. All these are figures from when Mush took over upto 9/11, which clearly show a complete and abject failure of his economic team on every front. When Mush displaced Nawaz Sharif in FY99, GDP growth was 4.2% whereas on the day of the bombings in FY01 it stood at 2.2 %. The net foreign investment fell from $499 million in FY99 to $182 million in FY01. The tax revenue-GDP ratio fell from 13.3% in FY99 to 12.9% in FY01. The total debt plus explicit liabilities rose from 104.7% of GDP in FY99 to 113.5% in FY01. The rupee depreciated by 18.6% in FY01, the highest fall since 1982 in any financial year. The foreign exchange reserves with the SBP fell from $1662.7 million in FY99 to $991 million in FY00. The agriculture sector recorded a negative growth of 2.7% in FY01. The budgetary deficit which stood at 6.1% in FY99 rose to 6.6% in FY00. The unemployment rate of 5.89%, which the military government inherited from Nawaz govt, reached 7.82% in FY01. So you see, 9/11 was a blessing for Musharraf, and he used to it to royally f* us all. Go read "Descent into Chaos" by Ahmed Rashid to find out how much of a liar, a cheater, a hypocrite, and basically an unqualified disaster Mush was for this godforsaken country. I would add murderer to the list as well, but we already know that. I also noticed that alot of the universities you (or that author of the tribune blog) names are in KP. How are they doing today? Are they still there? Have the Taliban destroyed them? Made them nothing more than empty buildings at least, especially the women's universities? Who is responsible for that? It was your great leader Musharraf. And since we are talking about the Taliban, let me also say that Musharraf got close to $20 Billion to fight them, yet their power only grew. Under this government, the fight against militancy is financed through the military's own budget and aid in the form of equipment, and yet it has been more successful than Mush's two faced efforts ever were. Why is that? Also note that the only reason the Military is even pursuing those operations is because the politicians (mainly the PPP) garnered political support for it. The PPP signed the IPI gas pipeline pact, passed the NFC award, something Mush, during his near decade rule could not do, even though he had his own hand picked CMs in all four provinces. The PPP passed the 18th and 19th amendments, created a fifth province, initiated proper operations against militants in the north west, and had to deal with the floods on top of that. How is Pakistan administered Kashmir doing today? You know, the area affected by the earthquake of 2005? You really dont want me to answer that question. Oh, and this government also retook Swat, a situation created by your dear leader's policies. Now I could go on about education as well and how the rise in the number of Ph.Ds has devalued their recognition to almost nil, and about a million other things, but i've made my point. I hope Musharraf does come back. I would like to see the day he is hanged, or at least sent to jail for the rest of his natural life.

Hatim Hussain | 13 years ago | Reply Mr.Musharraf you don’t need to return Pakistan to put your life in danger. Learn the lesson from Altaf Hussain who has been commanding his party from London through telephonic addresses for so many years. All you have to do is choose any one big city of your liking in Pakistan and make it as your fortress by exciting desires and hopes in the hearts of the citizens there by deceitful promises- Altaf Hussain along with his cronies has done it tactfully by making Karachi as his fortress and besieging its poor masses who have gone too phobic to raise a voice of protest against them. Mr.Musharraf you have done the half of your work – you have reached London - the remaining half can be done if you follow my humble advice.

khurram Nizami | 13 years ago | Reply Mushraf shb app ko Allah k wasta, pls replace atiqa odho as your spokes person couldnt your party find any one except her, that antee is pretty but no brains

Pro Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply @MI: one most important thing you forgotten to mention here is NRO with dacates, killers, bhattakhores etc.

Pro Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply @007: Our bravo general is afraid :P :P. Guard of honor was given to an American servant not a Pakistani general, who helped US to entered his CIA in our country. Before him our country was fully safe.

007 | 13 years ago | Reply For God's sake stop the talking and come back to Pakistan REALLY!!! these security issues r all lame excuses.. Musharraf has the backing of the Pakistan Army... he still has loyal friends in army who r willing to support him politically... the Pakistan army even gave him a Guard of Honor when he left Pakistan in 2008.

Pro Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply Mr. Busharraf, you are coming like altaf

Mahrukh | 13 years ago | Reply 8 years are more than enough for any leader........so please stay abroad.

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply @Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: What did Benazir ever do for Pakistan? What did Nawaz Sharif ever do for the country? The PPP that we live under today is the same PPP that existed during "Mohatma Benazir's" rule. The same feudals hold power today as they did then. There was nothing sociaist under Benazir's rule and their is no socialism now, only corruption, nepotism, lies and theft. During Benazir's rule how much resources were ploughed into health, education. Did she help to elimnate unemployment. What about economic growth? These are the criteria with which you judge leaders and both Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto are abject failures. The lies that the PPP, PML-N tell the masses now are the same as those that were repeated in the last phases of "democracy". Anybody remember Sharif's attempts to pay off the national debt? At the same time as he exhorted the masses to come forward and donate, do you know how much tax he paid? in the year that he was president he paid 5000 ruppess tax!! he left the country bankrupt the last time he was in power, we begged Kuwait to pay off some of the loans that had come due.

Mohammed Moinuddin | 13 years ago | Reply I am sure that Musharraf will never enter into Pakistan again.Lot of cases are waiting for him and he have to face them this he will not do.I wish him good luck for his political party and his political friends

Khalid Rahim | 13 years ago | Reply Altaf Hussain and Pervez Musharraf will babble over the phone from London to their party followers; in most cases hold joint party meetings to cover each other's rear at strategic point of interest.

redsnapper | 13 years ago | Reply Oh, yet another postponement. So sad. The Swat Taliban would have been so happy to see you again as you surreptitiously promoted and helped them. To use Taliban as a trump card against the West, you wiped out Malakand's economy, life, and culture. How many more Malakands do you want to "strategically" make on your return? Come on, if you think you were so good, be at peace with yourself then and stay where you are. Please let us be.

Riaz Butt | 13 years ago | Reply Musharraf is our hero. Long live Musharraf.

Mirza Ali | 13 years ago | Reply I am not in to politics nor i follow any one in politics,but i do agree that Musharaf did many good things, but some was misguided at the end, he didnt' nothing for himself but what he did the world know it, some political parties and leaders have nothing to do and have nothing did,just blaming Musharaf for everything,even after three years they repeat Musharaf, instead doing good to proove him wrong,across the world i would say there is no such politics which is here with corrupt and incompetent politicians in Pakistan,they talk Democracy but the agenda is always loota & lootacracy, Musharaf did many good to the country just glance at the situation today,where we are? btu the incompetents have the easy answer,Musharaf :))))

khalil khan noorzai | 13 years ago | Reply 90% Pakistani people think India,Israeil,, suported bt USA, UK, n non Mulims countries are first line enemy of Pakistan,,, they used z,a, Bhutto n mujeeb to to make B.Desh,, after that they are busy to destroy the remaing Pakistan,,, so as planning,, they are trying to make bad immage of Pakistan on international screen,,,,and weaken the ruling n socio structure Pakistan,,,,,,India at first step , brain washed the muslim living in India, that first your country then religion,, proof,,,a muslim made atom bomb for India,,,,,,ask from Abdul Kalam , you as Muslim made atomic bomb , was you not knowing if it used will be used against Pakistan ? Mulims living in India has to live as salve of Hinduism,, or they have dance, act, or member of underworld,,a bhai culture,,,, a modren and accepted muslim like filim actors who are muslim by genration, but has to marry a hindi wife, n has to worship the ganaish , n Allah smae time under one roof,,,,,other hand in pakistan socio they spreading that Pakistan creation was bad,, as due to this Muslims in India are suffering,,,,,,,n same Mr Altaf hussain confirmed in India during his visit to India,media informed this,,,also most of the members of P.Mushraf belive the same......this is a common point between these 2 political parties of Pakistan,,,,,,,may both parties are not aware of this point,,,but may be like slow poision,, it is beeing fed to both parities,,like this later convince that you have no political future, better join mqm,,then use both like Mujeeb ur rahman sheikh,,,of BD,,,,

khalil khan noorzai | 13 years ago | Reply in 9 years he done good thing but not good ,that effects of those good jobs remain long ,,,,also mass not felt his good done jobs,,,,,here one point which my sixth sense telling me,,,he was assured by Mr zardari,, that you will be remain our back scene supporter n bove him gaurd of hounour,,,Mushraf shb took this as good gesture.. he could not smell a mean,,, intention of that group,,,,,group political style is , do this or will be no more,,,this political threat ,he may have in his mind , so can not come back to Pakistan,,,,,,in his 9 years ,dictator + democracy style,, he could not establish country for lonf benefits, as he left, economy went down,, reserve finished,, loan increased,, energy no more,,,these all sign shows that all was day to day basis,,in his 9 years , industry was sold to PML.k members so cheap, that people thought he is taking his part through the imported Prime minister of his time.....he could not make kala bagh dam , others in is powerful regieme,,,,,,,,,,so all his mix perormence now giving him,,mix results,,,,,,his popularity on FB is there ,, but 80% praisers are useless, as they are not in position to cast a vote for him,,,,,and another big problem , till now he not a person of chrrishma in Pakistan who can represent him in the public of Pakistan,,,,,,no doubt he had done very very good jobs in his time,, but all are overshadowd by above mentioned reasons.....I have big sympathy for him n want him to be president of Pakistan , but must not act like before,,,he must try to be solo,notwith who have bad impresion ,, the best way is to unite all muslimleauge, including nawaz.....continued...........

Raheem Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Long Live President Musharraf!

salim | 13 years ago | Reply @Omair Shakil: Take a look at videos on Lal Masjid on Youtube. See the terrorists before the army operation armed to their teeth with grenade launchers, roctket launchers, sum machine guns. klashinkofs etc. Watch chief cleric Abdul Aziz spitting venom and encouraging suicide attacks. Perhaps you will change your opinion. And by the way he didn't 'take the first flight out'. He left the country 7 months after leaving the presidency. So get your facts straight.

khalil khan noorzai | 13 years ago | Reply Mr Pervez Musharaf as personal good man, but as political man , he had no experience,,, his two weakness brought him to this stage,,,that people of Pakistan convinced that P,Musharaf is hounest, brave, courageous,,, but not like him to be president of Pakistan. WEALNESS::1=trust on friends without political approach,,,,2= Too much liniency or likeness of women (likeness of womenis individial act, should not be applied on collective society) these two reasons destroyed his immage as leader of country like Pakistan,,,,,,,He is from Educated class, he acted all like educated, he forgot the illitrate, uneducated mass, how to control this mass politicaly,,,,he establishe univarsties,,,what intrest uneducated mass in this? he known as dictator,while he was not in real a dictator performence,,,,,he intoduced a democracy concept but not got success, so he kept,,hanging, in between dictatorship n democracy,,,,,,,he aapointed P.Minister not a people known peronality,,,n then he gave him an open hand,,who spoiled the economy in real , but figure was high,,,he trusted chowdhry brothers and convinced from them to issue NRO,,,his double blunder,,,,,,then he not took nation in confidence before allowing BUSH to enter in Pakistan , toward Afghanistan,,,,,,this was his bigest BLUNDER,,,due to which Pakistan , lost many innocent lives,,,,,,then anoother big mistae, he introduced Islamic rules against the will of mass of islamic country

Muhammad Junaid Akhter | 13 years ago | Reply @MI, yes you are right but what about the Reko Diq gold/copper ?? "Pakistani Government under the dictator at a price of $21 billion. Rough estimates suggest that the gold and copper at the surface accounts for $65 billion worth of deposits. @http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2008/07/02/reko-diq-mystery" Isn't it a $21 billion addition to state and a few for sure to his pocket ??

salim | 13 years ago | Reply @MI: I commend your work in putting together these statistics. Musharraf critics take note.

no aman ki aasha nor war | 13 years ago | Reply rofl

Ahmer Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.If Musharraf is sincere and honest with Pakistan then he must come to Pakistan as soon as possible and never set any term and condition as he is saying that he will come back if his party gets success.This is called lame excuse.

Nazir Habib | 13 years ago | Reply @Abdul Rashid: How precise and focused your comments are. My sympathies go out to Major General Rashid who has supported him all along. He seems a decent man from his looks but the other "hangers on" are just in for the taking. The super, duper, 'Night Hero' commando had nine long years to do something constructive. He did and he did not. In the latter part of his tenure he undid all the good, which leaves a poignant pain in the memory. Sir generalissimo Mr. Musharraf, please come back and face the music they (opponents) have composed for you and fight them like the late PM ZA Bhutto. PS: The flashy clothes and attending all the frivolous musical parties is what leads me to call him a "Night Hero." Salams to him, APML, and all.

Mohammad Ali Siddiqui | 13 years ago | Reply @MI: You are determined to exhibit that Musharraf is the only man in the country who is indispensable for Pakistan but this is not the case. Despite what you have described, Musharraf made the biggest fault by saying to former US President George W. Bush “Sir, we are with you”. This he has done in order to prolong his illegitimate and illegal military coup. You should recall that when Musharraf self claimed the he is the Chief Executive, the former US President Mr. Bill Clinton came to Pakistan and stayed at Chaklala Airbase but did not went to meet General Musharraf and went back after meeting US Embassy Officials. Musharraf also betrayed his old friends who brought him into power when his PIA Aircraft was hanging in balance in the air and according to him only 7 minutes fuel was left in the aircraft to land, otherwise it would have crashed. Now the question arises: who made General Musharraf’s aircraft landed at Karachi Airport. It was General Usmani. And where is General Usmani now? Only Allah know better. Musharraf has not only betrayed the nation but has also betrayed his own colleagues. Pakistani cannot trust Genral Musharraf any more. Musharaf has handed over uncounted people to US in lieu of US dollar which he has also mentioned in his book. Musharraf was the one who handed over Dr. Aafia to US. If Musharraf will come back to power again, which is next to impossible, he will sell the entire Pakistan either to US or to some other foreign country. We need a dedicated Pakistani and not a person who dance on the tune of foreign masters. If an ex-army general cannot take care of his own country and work in the interest of foreign masters, then what one would expect from him. Musharaf wants to return to Pakistan at an appropriate time. He says “Pakistan First”. The very court of “Pakistan’s First” has summoned him to appear in BB’s murder case. If for Musharraf “Pakistan is First” then the “Court of Pakistan is also First” then why he is not coming to Pakistan to appear in the court? During the tenure of General Musharraf one very well know astrologer told him that after eight and half years rule, he will no more be in power. It exactly happened. The same astrologer also told him that he cannot anymore rule Pakistan any more and his tenure has come to an end once and for all. I am amazed that despite the astrologer’s prediction, Musharraf id day dreaming to again become President of Pakistan. This time the astrologer will not be seen any more similar to General Usmani.

RizwanTKhan | 13 years ago | Reply Yes he should come and from airport directly to jail (for good).

Zohaib | 13 years ago | Reply Hello Mohammad Ali Siddiqui..... How come you say the constitution of Pakistan is Quran? Isn't blasphemy thing. Quran is from the heavens and the constitution is man made and made by whom the people who hated Bengalis, now trying to separate Baluchistan? Nawaz Sharif attacked the Supreme court how come he is pious? Nawaz Sharif hates people of Karachi...It was PM who spared him and allowed him to escape to Saudi Arabia. I watched full interview of PM in Dawn News. He said Pakistan is more important than the piece of paper. If Pakistan's sovereignty is danger what will you do with the constitution???You Jahil Mullahs are responsible to the present Pakistan.

Kazmis | 13 years ago | Reply Mr Ex-President....we listen, You are coming, many times, in a very frightened way. Perhaps you are being pushed by your Bosses to implement the next agenda for Pakistan. If you sell yourself and your country, you can face such dilemma. It is your fate. It is your destiny.Sir.

abid mohiuddin | 13 years ago | Reply @Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: I absolutely disagree. Musharraf will write History InshaAllah No comparison of liar and coward Nawaz Sharif with our bold courageous and man of word Musharraf Musharraf will head the government in coalition with Imran Khan and MQM people will see Insha Allah Sub se pahle Pakistan

rehmat ali | 13 years ago | Reply Musharraf zindabad! you are an honest leader!one of the few that did not plunder the country.we need u to return.u r better then these corrupt leaders.even you have faults but ure faults were never so detrimental to our beloved country!

Tariq Ahmad | 13 years ago | Reply Maybe he will be roommates with Mubarak ?

Omair Shakil | 13 years ago | Reply Let's not be fooled by the Emperor's new clothes. Obviously, all those waiting to garland Mr Musharraf have forgotten the Lal Masjid fiasco, extradition of Pakistani nationals to the US, the blasted NRO, imposition of Emergency, manhandling of the Supreme Court and the judiciary, the castration of our constitution and the drone attacks (which began under his silent consent) which continue to this day. I would have expected someone with his background to show some courage and face his battles (some of which amount to acts of treason against the state) instead of taking the first flight out. We don't need the likes of him in this country.

Malik Tabeer | 13 years ago | Reply Welcome back sir

D. Asghar | 13 years ago | Reply Sir why come back to "In the line of Ire." Looking good in London. Walayat after all is Walayat. Let's have a slogan, "Sub sey pehley Inglistan."

Rao Amjad Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Is Mr. Aziz returning with you? If not, it will be an act of great cruelty on those innocent constituents of Attock who have had sleepless nights without him being at the steering wheel. And, of course, please dont forget to enlist the services of Mr. "Sharif"-ud-din Pirzada as he will come in handy when you trash the consitution again.

mussarat | 13 years ago | Reply While in power once you also said in Multan public rally that you were not fraid of "death", now you say you are not afraid of returning Pakistan. Which of your statements is correct? Mussarat

MAD | 13 years ago | Reply Oh not again. What is this a game of musical chairs or what?

Khan | 13 years ago | Reply then why do not you retuen? you are afraid mr.

Hassan | 13 years ago | Reply As a Pakistani living in the west, Mr Musharraf is the only leader who has shown some spine and held his own whilst in power ( this is the opinion of many non pakistani westerners, who i have spoken too ) Have you seen the likes of Gillani next to the president of the USA , He looks lke a lap dog scared to talk. God bless and protect Mr Musharraf.

Andrea | 13 years ago | Reply @AnisAqeel: I think most people in Pakistan are waiting for Musharraf's arrival so they can charge him with treason and hold him accountable for all the problems which were caused by his 8 years of dictatorship.

A R Khan, Wisconsin | 13 years ago | Reply There is not even the slimmest chance that he will contest the next and win fair and square. He's nothing more than a laughing stock in this country. He had 9 long years to try to solve a lot of Pakistan's problems but he failed miserably. We are still reaping the benefits of what he did to our economy and the political structure. And I doubt Mush will settle for anything less than the President. He considers himself above all other elected offices.

Ahmed Jehanzeb | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistan needs Musharaf more than anytime in the past. A country run by a money hungry, previously convicted criminal, like Zardari, can certainly be run by a well meaning former dictator, in a country that desperately deserves change. I say bring on the revolution and throw the thugs out of power!

Anjum H | 13 years ago | Reply Sir please mention your exact date of return (please don't just boast that you are unafraid). I will be waiting for you with Oil lantern at the airport since thanks to you there was no power plant put up in your 10 year rule and as a result we are having to face such load shedding. Sir, I will also come in motorcar with CNG tank because thanks to you so many CNG stations were commissioned in Pakistan diverting much needed gas away from industry and in hands of those who can already afford to pay for petrol sir. Also sir, will you need to convert your I'll gotten wealth (from giving lpg and CNG concessions) into Pak Rupiah? (we need to increase demand for local currency sir because thanks to your and Shortcut Aziz's shortsighted policies, our currency has gone from 60 to 86 per USD). If so, I will take you straight to Khanani and Kalia and we will convert. Please note sir, commission to convert has gone from 1 percent to 11 percent. Difference goes to support Democracy in Islamic Republic of Pakistan sir.

Dr. Asad Sadick, Germany | 13 years ago | Reply Stay where you are. You look good.

MI | 13 years ago | Reply @Mohammad Ali Siddiqui 1. Nine world class engineering universities were developed and 18 public universities further developed. Pakistan was ranked third in world banking profitability. The IT industry was valued at around $2 billion, including $1 billion in exports and employed around 90,000 professionals. The CNG sector attracted over $70 billion in investment in the past five years and created 45,000 jobs. The telecommunications sector attracted around $10 billion in investments and created over 1.3 million jobs. Industrial parks were set up throughout the country for the first time. Mega projects such as the Saindak, Rekodiq, marble production, coal production, mining and quarrying were pursued. Foreign reserves increased from $700 million to $17 billion. The Karachi stock market went from 700 points to 15,000 points. The literacy rate improved by 11 per cent. Poverty decreased by 10 per cent. Four dams were built: Mirani, Subakzai, Gomalzam, Khurram, and Tangi, Seven motorways were completed or were under construction, Gwadar, an advanced sea port, was developed, 650 kilometres of coastal highways were constructed. A historic 100% increase in tax collection (amounting to Rs1 trillion) was observed. Large scale manufacturing was at a 30-year high, and construction at a 17-year high. Copper and gold deposits were found in Chagai, worth about $600 million annually if sold. A new oil refinery with the UAE that could process 300,000 oil barrels a day was established. The industrial sector registered 26 per cent growth. The economy was the third fastest growing economy after China and India . The Institute of Space Technology was established. Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University Quetta was established. The University of Science and Technology, Bannu, was established. The University of Hazara was founded. The Malakand University in Chakdara was established. The University of Gujrat was established The Virtual University of Pakistan was established Sarhad University of IT in Peshawar was established The National Law University in Islamabad was established The Media University in Islamabad was established University of Education in Lahore was established Lasbela University of Marine Sciences, Baluchistan, was established Baluchistan University of IT & Management, Quetta (2002) The Pakistan economy was worth $ 160 billion in 2007 GDP Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) was $ 475.5 billion in 2007 The GDP per Capita in 2007 was $ 1000 Revenue collection in 2007/08 was Rs1.002 billion Exports in 2007were worth $18.5 billion Textile exports in 2007 were worth $11.2 billion Foreign direct investment in 2007 was $8.5 billion Debt servicing in 2007 was 26 per cent of the GDP The poverty level in 2007 was 24 per cent The literacy rate in 2007 was 53 per cent Pakistan development programs in 2007 were valued at Rs520 billion The Karachi stock exchange in 2007 was $70 billion at 15,000 points Exports in 2007: $18.5 billion Pakistan now has a total of 245,682 educational institutions in all categories, including 164,579 in the public sector and 81,103 in the private sector, according to the National Education Census (NEC-2005). There are now more than 5,000 Pakistanis doing PhDs in foreign countries on scholarship. 300 Pakistanis receive PhD degrees every year, in 1999, the number was just 20. In total, 99,319 educational institutions increased in Musharraf’s era! This was some of the good Musharraf delivered to Pakistan during his martially-democratic rule from 1999 to 2008. Strange how quickly we forget his foreign policy efforts, which helped elevate the image of Pakistan globally added acceptance value to our green passports. Even the Indians next door were ready to discuss Kashmir for a solution and praised the man for his sincerity, honesty and amicable handling of the issues. Long Live Musharraf - Long live Pakistan

Roflcopter | 13 years ago | Reply musharraf ruined the country. it is better if he stays away from Pakistan.

Nadeem Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply Musharaf Sahib, you are the best thing happened to this country, please come back as soon as possible.

mussarat Hussain | 13 years ago | Reply BUT WHEN ? Mussarat

gul | 13 years ago | Reply This is your country no one can stop you.Must come and regain the people's confidence. People are fedup from the present goevrnment

parvez | 13 years ago | Reply Now close to three years we keep hearing " I am not afraid ", its begining to sound not only hollow but quite pathetic.

Mohammad Ali Siddiqui | 13 years ago | Reply Musharraf has no future in Pakistan’s politics. It is his dreams that will never come true to again become the President of Pakistan, this time from the front door, but he has no roots in the masses. What to talk about Musharraf’s “All Pakistan Muslim League” which was born just yesterday comparing to the “Pakistan Muslim League” of Mian Mohammad Nawaz Shariff which paved the way for Mian Sahib to become two-time Prime Minister of Pakistan. Musharraf cannot wash out three years old memory of people of Pakistan when he was forced to step down after all the four provincial assemblies of the country passed a no confidence vote against him. He had no other option to resign; otherwise the National Assembly of Pakistan would have also passed a no confidence vote against him. I doubt if Musharraf will contest election from his own political party he would succeed any where from the country. The only way for him to come in the National Assembly is if his old buddy Mr. Altaf Hussain of MQM will award him a ticket to become member of National Assembly from Karachi. I have not seen any Head of the State in Pakistan returning back to power after three, four or five years. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto returned to power for the second time after a long pause. Before her assassination, she came back to Pakistan to contest elections more or less after 10 years. Similarly, Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif also did not become second time Prime Minister between. It also took some time for him to return to the power. Now it has been more than 10 years that Mian Mohammad Nawaz Shariff is waiting to become 3rd time Prime Minister, then how come Musharraf will become 3rd time President of Pakistan when the constitution does not allow him to do so. Again, being a retired army general, he has no powers to revoke the constitution of Pakistan time and again, which is merely a piece of paper for him. Musharaf does not regard the “Book of Pakistan” (The Constitution) as it is merely a piece of paper for him, and therefore, one can also believe that he has no regard as well for the only “Book of Islam” (Quran).

Abdul Rashid | 13 years ago | Reply "He said that the security and integrity of the country lay in changing the status quo and this change should come through his party". No sir, No!. Did you not get nine long years of absolute power to do that ?. You instead of changing the status quo strengthened it further only to prolong your rule. Now you want that to be done by your limp and lame Tanga party. How can it be possible? Have a heart, we are no kids.

Afaq | 13 years ago | Reply Then come soon. Pakistani nation waiting for you longer Mr Musharraf. Time to repay what have you done.

Yousaf | 13 years ago | Reply You are superman... no doubt. You have put yourself under threat for many years for Pakistan and Allah has always protected you, this time too inshaAllah you will be victorious despite many threats. We are eagerly waiting for your return, our full support for you. We are standby for action. And Thank you ET for the unbiased and balance journalism, I mean in your news paper everone gets the place, unlike some other Media Groups works only for their financial benifits. Thumbs up to you.

salim | 13 years ago | Reply Musharraf, you did good for the country. Look forward to see you at helmn of affairs once again. Good luck.

Manjit singh | 13 years ago | Reply long live musharaf!

AnisAqeel | 13 years ago | Reply Come on, don't give us quizzes. We are waiting for your arrival. You are needed badly.

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