ISLAMABAD - Following the decision of former president Asif Ali Zardari to land back in the country on 23rd of this month, All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) President General (r) Pervez Musharraf also hit the headlines by giving controversial statements about the root cause of his differences with Prime Minister Nawaz Shairf and former Army chief Gen (r) Raheel Sharif’s role in his exit from the country.
In the relevant developments, Musharraf was also consulting his party leaders and some other political figures about his return to the country early next year, what his party leaders here say, to play his due role in the national politics.
In an interview to a private media channel the other day, Musharraf recalled that his differences with the Prime Minister in his second stint in power in late 90s when he was Chief of Army Staff started when he refused to remove two serving Major Generals on his direction.
The claim of Musharraf was strongly denied by the Prime Minister’s spokesman, terming it ‘utterly baseless, malicious, untrue and concocted.’
But interestingly the government had not rebutted the more fatal allegation levelled by the former Army Chief about the way his exist was managed by former Army Chief Raheel Sharif, who according to Musharraf had neutralised the pressure being exerted by the Nawaz-led government on the courts not to let him loose.
Sources in the APML said that former Army Chief was consulting the like-minded political leadership in the country on formation of political alliance against the government and to discuss the prospects of his early return.
These sources said that the party’s Secretary General, Dr Amjad had held meeting with PML-Q President Ch Shujaat Hussain and discussed with him these issues.
Lately both sides along with some other factions of the Muslim Leagues tried merger of these factions of Muslim Leagues into a single party but the move could not be materialised because the leaders of these factions failed to agree on the head of the joint Muslim Leagues.
Sources in APML claimed that party chief Musharraf would return soon after his final check up early next year for which the party was already busy in preparations to accord him a befitting welcome.
Political observers said that by giving controversial statements Musharraf wanted to keep him alive in national politics. Though they don’t see much impact of his return right now, yet politics is a day to day business and one can’t predict exactly what will happen when he will land back.