LONDON: Former president General (retired) Pervez Musharraf on Friday announced to set a new political party for the 2018 elections.

In an interview with Inter Press News Agency, the former president said that his party, which will be formed by June 2017, would transcend all sectarian and linguistic differences.

Musharraf said that all the political parties currently operating in Pakistan were on linguistic lines, threatening the federation of Pakistan. He said that the current Pakistani leadership was inept for meeting the internal and external challenges faced by the country.

“I want to give the people a better leadership after uniting them. I’m ready to face the allegations in any Pakistani court but I don’t want my movement to be restricted,” said the former president.

Rejecting the media reports regarding him presiding over Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Musharraf said that these parties were limited only to Urdu-speaking community. He said that his party would also have a key role for Urdu-speaking people.

Talking about the religious fanaticism, the former president said that the seminaries had to be brought under the regular education system.

Musharraf said that Lashkar-e-Taiba had also diverted the attention of the youth towards welfare projects.

The former president admitted that the removal of former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and passing of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) were his major mistakes.