Former president Pervez Musharraf is desperately trying to pave the way for returning home. He has recently acquired the services of a former Congressmen who claims that “no one knows the way around Capitol Hill (Washington) better than those who have previously served in Congress” for making inroads into Pakistan, Pakistan Today learnt on Thursday. Official contract documents made available with Pakistan Today show that All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chief Pervez Musharraf, through the former president of the Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee (PAKPAC) Raza Bokhari, has entered into an agreement with a US lobbyists firm, M/S Advantage Associates International Ltd, to engage members of the US Congress and Executive Branch Officials to promote his interest. According to the contract documents, signed on September 1, 2011, Advantage Associates International will work with Pervez Musharraf’s North American Point of Contact, Raza Bokhari, to develop a strategy to represent the interest of General (r) Musharraf in the United States. Documents show that Musharraf will pay a total fee of $175,000 – in monthly payment of $25,000 for a period of seven months beginning on September 1, 2011 and ending on March 30, 2012. All monthly payments must be made on the first of each month. However, for the last two months and the first month, $75,000 will be paid to Advantage Associates International under this agreement.
In addition, documents indicate, the APML chief will reimburse all reasonable expenses arising out of this agreement, with any expenses over $250 pre-approved in advance. However, it seems that the renowned US lobbying consultancy could not help the former president in returning home as Musharraf has delayed his return plan. Earlier, it had been announced that he would return Pakistan between January 27 and January 30. APML sources claim that Musharraf had delayed his return as few of his friends had indicated unfavourable circumstances for him in Pakistan. Advantage Associates International is founded by former congressman Bill Sarpalius, who served six years as a United States congressman and eight years as a Texas State senator. It is the first bipartisan team of former members of the United States Congress to offer consulting and lobbying services. Its partners include former Congressmen Bill Alexander, Bill Grant, Dick Schulze, Lincoln Davis, Jerry Patterson and Robin Tallon.
