LONDON: Former Pakistani military ruler
Pervez Musharaf said Thursday he would
consult with members of his party
before deciding whether to delay his
return from exile later this month.
Speaking from Britain after
friends and supporters in Pakistan advised him to stay away for his
safety, Musharraf said he wanted to stick to his plan and fly home at
the end of January.
"I have to return no doubt whatsoever. My
decision stands between the 27th and the 30th of January," he said at a
press conference in Ilford, east of the capital London.
But he
added: "My party leaders in Pakistan are looking at the implications of
my return and will give me the recommendation whether to return or
whether to postpone. I have not had any recommendations yet."
He said he would fly to Dubai before going to Pakistan in any case.
Leaders
of his All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) said in Pakistan earlier
Thursday that he should put off his return because he would be arrested
if he came back.
Meanwhile, a spokesman of All Pakistan Muslim
League (APML) Muhammad Ali Saif talking to newsmen said, "Musharraf may
not return to Pakistan this month."
The announcement came as
the government made it clear that the 68-year-old former General, who
has been declared a fugitive by a court will be arrested on his return
to Pakistan.
An arrest warrant is pending against him for his
alleged failure to cooperate in the probe of assassination of former
prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.
Musharraf who left the
country in 2009 is also an accused in the killing of Baloch nationalist
leader Akbar Bugti in a military operation in August 2006.
"Close friends are advising him against returning now," Saif told reporters.
Leaders
of Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League told the media that he had
delayed his plans to return to Pakistan later this month after
consulting friends and party leaders.
He sought to put a
positive spin on the development by saying that Musharraf had been
advised by his aides that his return at this juncture would provide
"relief" to the government which is grappling with several crises.
Musharraf had announced earlier this month that he intended to fly into the port city of Karachi between January 27 and 30.
Musharraf’s
spokesman Saif said the former President was not afraid of such threats
or the cases that have been filed against him in Pakistan.
"Musharraf
is not afraid of being arrested. The authorities will have to treat him
according to his status and the law," he said.
"The former
President has never refused to appear before the courts. He will face
the courts and the cases against him whenever he returns," Saif said. Online
