Thaindian News

Islamabad, April 19 (IANS) A Pakistani newspaper Tuesday urged former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf not to return home from London, saying “threats to his life are real”.

It said that Musharraf “will also have to consider the risk of being arrested on arrival” for the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto ahead of parliamentary elections — soon after she returned to Pakistan.

In a “sincere advice” to Musharraf, the editorial said: “You have had your innings, do not put yourself in the line of fire once again.”

The threats to Musharraf, who is keen to return to Pakistan, “are real”, it warned.

It noted that Musharraf, who now lives in London, has expressed his willingness to return to Pakistan and has called upon Pakistanis “to gear up for a change”.

In a recent video address to his supporters in Lahore, Musharraf trashed the threats to his life from the Taliban and other extremist groups, claiming that he was only afraid of god.

Musharraf ruled Pakistan for nine years after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999. He stepped down in 2008 and left Pakistan.

The editorial said that Musharraf “made his ‘debut’ in electoral politics with the launching of his All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) last year in London. His support base is limited to a few beneficiaries of his rule and his Facebook fans.

“For a party looking for a sizeable share in the 2013 elections, a few thousand supporters in the rally was a poor show. And it is unlikely his support base will increase any time in the near future considering his unpopularity in large sections of society and the tough competition to be offered by rival parties.”