Musharraf to return to Pakistan on March 23

Shrugging off arrest warrants and threats to his life by terrorists, former Pakistan president General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf insisted that he would end his self-imposed exile on March 23 next year and return to the country.
Addressing his supporters in Dubai at an Iftar party, he said there is nothing to fear. “Many people say there is danger to my life, but I have already encountered many such fears and threats during my career. And I’m not scared of these rumour-mongers. I’ll face the challenges and go to Pakistan. I have fought earlier and will fight again to win the elections.”
The former military ruler has been declared a proclaimed offender by Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) in an assassination case of late prime minister Benazir Bhutto. He has been accused of failing to provide adequate security to Bhutto and conspiring to kill her, which he denies.
Nearly 2,000 followers attended the party organised by Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) supporters at the Dubai World Trade Centre on the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14, 2011.
“Today isn’t about me and it isn’t about my political party, this is Pakistan’s day,” said Mr Musharraf. “Today is a happy day. Today all Pakistanis should remember Quaid-e-Azam and August 14, 1947.”
He said that he remembered the birth of the nation vividly and recalled a train journey from his place of birth, the Indian city of Delhi, to Karachi a few days before partition.
And upon his arrival he saw thousands of people at the station. “Everybody was crying and on that day I thought that was what freedom meant.”
Quoting a speech by Mr Jinnah he said the first duties of a government were to maintain law and order, tackle corruption and black marketeers, improve religious tolerance, and end nepotism and poverty. He said none of these were being carried out by Pakistan’s current leadership.
“There are religious and ethnic difficulties but there should not be,” he said. “It should not matter if you are from Balochistan, Sindh or Punjab. We are all Pakistanis,” he added.
“There should be no religious intolerance inside Pakistan and it shouldn’t matter if you are Sikh, Muslim, Christian or Hindu.”
Unveiling APML’s four-point agenda to improve country’s economy and law and order situation, the former president promised to deliver peace, jobs, education and justice if returned to power in the next elections.
He urged his supporters to come forward to support the newly-launched party APML. He, however, lambasted and accused the present leadership of corruption and nepotism which is leading the country to the brink of default. Ironically, Musharraf’s APML has, of late, also been witnessing defections and accusations of nepotism in its ranks. Nasim Ashraf, a confidant and staunch supporter of Musharraf for over a decade, was the latest high-profile deserter of APML. Ashraf is reportedly intending to spend time with an hospital in Abu Dhabi.
The Independence Day ceremony was attended by APML leaders from UAE, UK and Pakistan.