Thaindian News

London, Sep 30 (ANI): While preparing to launch his new party and rejoin Pakistan’s turbulent politics, former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has warned that the country’s military could launch another coup.

Musharraf, who himself came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and has lived in London since stepping down in 2008, said that army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani could be forced to intervene against President Asif Ali Zardari’s democratic government, which he said, had failed to tackle rampant militancy and a crumbling economy in Pakistan, the Dawn reported.

Citing as evidence the reported crisis meeting between Kayani, Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, he told the Intelligence Squared debate forum in London, “Well, you see the photographs of the meeting with the president and the prime minister and I can assure you they were not discussing the weather.”

“There was a serious discussion of some kind or other, and certainly at this moment all kinds of pressures must be on this army chief,” he added.

Musharraf said that when he was Pakistan’s army chief, similar “pressures” had forced him to launch the coup against the then Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif.

“In that one year, Pakistan was going down and a number of people, including politicians, women, men, came to me telling me ‘Why are you not acting? Are you going to act for Pakistan’s good?” he said.

“Now I am in a dilemma - the army chief, what does he do? There is no constitutional provision, what does he do?” he added.

Musharraf also said Zardari’s government had failed to adequately deal with the nation’s staggering economy, threat from Taliban militants, and the after-effects of devastating floods in the country.

The 67-year-old confirmed he would launch a new political party in London on October 1 in order to contest the next elections in 2013, but refused to say when he would return to Pakistan, where he could face treason charges. (ANI)