Musharraf’s treatment isn’t possible in Pakistan, clarifies family

Amid speculations of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s return to the country after positive signals were given by certain quarters of the state, his family on Sunday said that his treatment is not possible in Pakistan.

In a statement issued through the former army chief’s official Twitter account, his family said that they have received communications from official and unofficial channels regarding the facilitation of his return to Pakistan.

“We sincerely appreciate these overtures since Pakistan is home,” they said.

However, they added that they have to consider the medical, legal, and security challenges Musharraf would face in the country.

Without categorically stating that the former military dictator cannot return to the country, his family said that an uninterrupted supply and administration of the experimental drug Daratumumab, which is needed alongside associated treatment of Amyloidosis, is not available in Pakistan.

The seriousness of Musharraf’s medical condition came to light when rumours regarding his death began to circulate on social media, prompting his family to issue a statement.

“He is not on the ventilator. Has been hospitalised for the last 3 weeks due to a complication of his ailment (amyloidosis)," the family said in a statement issued through Musharraf's Twitter handle. "Going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and organs are malfunctioning. Pray for ease in his daily living.”

Later, it was reported that the former chief of army staff wants to spend the rest of his life in Pakistan, and the Pakistan Army also broke its silence on the matter. In a television interview, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Babar Iftikhar said that the military leadership believes that their former chief should be brought back to Pakistan.

Also read: Musharraf's return a fait accompli: Gilani

This was followed by a statement issued by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, who, in a tweet, urged the coalition government led by his party to allow the former military ruler back into the country.

It is worth noting here that as the matter continued to be discussed by the public and media, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Yousaf Raza Gillani said that the decision in this regard would not be made lawmakers, rather it would be made “somewhere” else.