Don’t put yourself in the line of fire, Daily tells Musharraf
April 19th, 2011 - 12:30 pm ICT by IANS
Islamabad, April 19 (IANS) The threats to General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, who is keen to return to Pakistan, “are real”, warned a Pakistani daily as it advised the former president not put himself “in the line of fire once again”.
An editorial in the Daily Times Tuesday said that Musharraf has “expressed his willingness to return to Pakistan and urged the nation to gear up for a change”.
In his recent video address to his party supporters in Lahore, “Musharraf trashed the threats to his life from the Taliban and other extremist groups, claiming that he is only afraid of God and linked his return to the organisation of his party”.
Musharraf ruled Pakistan for nine years after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999. He stepped down in 2008 and left Pakistan. He now lives in London.
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,” it added.
The daily noted that Musharraf “will also have to consider the risk of being arrested on arrival in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case”.
It said the “threats to his life are real”.
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan’s garrison city of Rawalpindi Feb 19 issued an arrest warrant in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case against Musharraf.
Bhutto was assassinated Dec 27, 2007, as she was leaving Liaquat Bagh in a motorcade after addressing an election rally in Rawalpindi, the twin city of Islamabad.
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.”
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