LAHORE: Former president Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday said he did not see a political party or a leader in Pakistan to be able to tackle the problems that Pakistan is facing.
In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Musharraf said, “I do need financial support, and I would ask the American Pakistani diaspora to support me … because I see darkness in Pakistan.”
He hopes to retake the country’s leadership, and he is actively campaigning – in Texas. Musharraf has a set of Houston meetings planned this week with wealthy Pakistani-Americans and corporate leaders. Though a London resident, he has kicked off his campaign in the US, a decision that could say more about the perceived influence of the Pakistani-American community in cities such as Houston than Musharraf’s chances for success, the paper quoted experts as saying.
He said he believed connecting with Pakistanis in the US will give him enough backing to carry him to victory in Pakistan. Some community members – including Sajjad Burki, president of a Houston chapter for Tehreek-e-Insaaf – were not sure of the former president’s legitimacy as a candidate. Musharraf, however, hopes a possible election to office will give him “the legitimacy that maybe I didn’t have in the past”.
