After failing to establish his political party – the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) – on firm footing despite exaggerated hopes and claims, former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf has decided to fully support Imran Khan to help the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) break the status quo in the country.
A source in the APML told Pakistan Today that Musharraf had decided to let Imran’s party become the third force in the country to end the political monopoly of the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. “As Musharraf’s brainchild APML has failed to attract the masses, he has now pinned hopes on Imran to break the status quo,” said an APML leader seeking not to be attributed.
Musharraf’s growing fondness for Imran can also be gauged from his recent interviews in which he went an extra mile to defend the former cricket captain.
In his interview with Indian journalist Barkha Datt, Musharraf termed Imran the best among the existing lot of Pakistani politicians. Responding to another query by a journalist in the United States about Imran’s proximity with the Taliban, the former military dictator defended him, saying he was liberal and could not be dubbed as Taliban’s supporter or sympathiser.
An APML leader said Musharraf had developed a soft corner for Imran as both were following the same line of political action which was to end the status quo in the country. “Musharraf always welcomed the emergence of a third force in the country to get the masses freed from the clutches of conventional politicians of the PPP and PML-N… Imran Khan’s harsh stance against the Sharifs has also pushed Musharraf to praise and silently support the PTI,” he added. The APML leader claimed that Imran was also passing positive overtures to Musharraf. “For the last many months, the PTI chairman passed no harsh remarks about Musharraf and he also barred his party’s foreign chapters from staging protest demonstrations outside venues where Musharraf delivered lectures,” he said.
Commenting on the growing proximity between Musharraf’s APML and PTI, a close aide of the former president said due to a possible anti-Musharraf onslaught by the media, Imran’s party was not publicly extending political contacts with the APML. “With the passage of time, both parties will openly join each other to pursue a single point agenda of change,” he said.
Another source in the APML said that after pinning hopes on Imran, Musharraf had postponed his plan of returning to the country on March 23 next year.
When contacted, APML spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said his party supported Imran’s aim of breaking the status quo. “Musharraf also supported the emergence of a third force in the country, but we think Imran alone cannot bring change until he is supported by the PML-F, PML-Likeminded, the PML-Q minus the Chaudhrys and the APML,” he said.
Fawad said APML leaders would meet Musharraf on November 22-23 in Dubai in which the schedule and venue of Musharraf’s return would be decided.
“We hope Musharraf will return to the country in January or February next year, before the earlier announced date of March 23,” he added. PTI spokesman Zahid Kazmi said the PTI was in contact with Musharraf and there were chances of future political cooperation between the two parties. “We welcome Musharraf’s remarks about Imran as we always welcome truth … but we cannot afford the heavy baggage of former military dictator,” he said.
musharraf would be looking for imran.. and imran is the same one who supported musharraf’s refrendum… ye RAAJ NEETI hai bhaai.. aur wo bhi pakistani raaj neeti…
And I.K was also the first who realized his mistake for favoring Musharraf. He had announced it in many Media forums several times.
IK didn't support Musharaf for power or get into government. He only supported Musharaf because Musharaf portrayed to fight against corruption . But when Musharaf himself included corrupt politician in his government IK went against him.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
IK ab Pak Fauj ka hii barkhurdar hai 😉
i dont agree. Fouj IK k sath nae hai. Balkay fouj to IK ko mulki salmiyat k liyeh threat samjti hai. IK nai hal he mai kashmir k issue per indian stance key hamayat key hai.
What IK said regarding Kashmir is agreed by all political forces in Pakistan including Army
@asim javed lagta ha tmu english ki samjh ni ha…yahan aak jhoot na pelao, au ja k karan thapar ka interview ghoor se suno….IK the best
good
Imran is the person who can do something different, i know it is hard to make your political career and convince mass to follow in country which is ruled by feudalism, castism. yet he can become the voice of educated pakistan and push the rulling parties to listen to this segment of country.
Imran and Musharraf both got leads.
The fact that no one has been able to point a finger to IK's integrity and honesty is enough to make him the pick of the lot we have as our political 'leaders' for the last six decades. No other person except Quaid-Azam has struggled so hard and shown so much perseverance to come to this level of political recognition as IK has today. All others were either nurtured by establishment or are enjoying 'warasat' thru fake wasiat namas".
The choice is simple, vote for the corrupt evil existing politicians or the honesty of Imran. Its a no brainer but the people are too stupid to do the right thing.
It will be interesting to see how an alliance between Musharraf & Imran emerges.
Imran, keep Musharraf away from your party. He is a traitor and faces a long prison sentence, if he ever returns to Pakistan.
Charisma is not Musharaff's strong point. Ego-isma is…
Everyone from fans since Imran's cricket days, followers of PTI and turncoat fans of other political parties, independants, forces figures and politican's are jumping on the PTI's leader IMran Khan's band Wagon. But the fact is Gen. Musharraf offered Imran the premiership before Shaukat got it. Imran stick to his principles and wanted to take over the country with the support of Pakistani people. Currently, he has backing of forces, leading politicans, Intelligence agencies and the biggest support of himand his party PTI is people of Pakistan, who are coming from all corners of the country to make him victorious in the coming election. Flocks, herds and waves of people were seen in the Jalsa at the Minar-i-Pakistan. It is also known as,"YADGAAR". At the same time politics is not based on only one Jalsa or speech, so PTI should continue to show their strength from Karachi to Khyber," PTI,PTI".
"failing to establish his political party"…what kind of nonsensical rhetoric is this? the APML is a reality. accept it, mr irfan bukhari. the APML will only gain in popularity. it wont decline. president musharraf will return inshallah, and hopefully both imran and musharraf can look past their differences to work for pakistan.
Cockroch nation finally Got a a leader.But will they let him succeed ,i doubt ,they will kill him in their gutter.
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