The United States has denied reports that former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf had sought a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over his return to Pakistan. State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said on Thursday that Musharraf was not asking for favours from US officials to avoid arrest in Pakistan. Musharraf had announced in a telephonic address to a public gathering in Karachi that he was planning to return to Pakistan in the last week of January.
Nuland said the issue of Musharraf’s return was an internal matter of Pakistan. “The US wants a relationship with Pakistan that is broad and deep, and the two sides work together across the range of issues, including economic things, development things, and the full range of security issues,” she said, adding that the two countries had a lot to do together across the range of concerns. “Victoria, you’re saying it should be broad. So are you suggesting right at the present time it is not broad and comprehensive, and it is only restricted to security measures,” asked a journalist present at the briefing.
Musharraf not seeking US help to avoid arrest: State Dept
