Former president and military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf said Wednesday that he can sense ‘winds of change’ blowing in Pakistan.
“I can sense winds of change blowing in Pakistan. The demonstrators are within their right to protest; my sympathies are with them,” Musharraf, wearing a traditional Sindhi Ajrak shawl on his shoulders, said while addressing his supporters of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) via video conference.
The former dictator, who is facing high treason charges and a number of other legal cases, said that he had returned to contest elections in 2013 to bring political change to Pakistan.
“Pakistan were in dire need of political change in the 2013 elections: a third force capable of good governance and able to steer the country to safer waters. This is why, despite all hurdles I decided to come back to Pakistan,” he said.
But he added that the legal and security threats he faced after his return were far greater than what he had anticipated. Musharraf said that five years had passed since he stepped down but things were still the same.
“It was the same system and same people,” he said.
“If you look at the current situation, you will see that the country is racing towards destruction. What we need is free and fair elections without any form of rigging. First we need electoral reforms before elections in Pakistan,” he added.
The former military ruler said that he would continue to defend himself against the treason charges and other legal cases until justice is served.