ISLAMABAD - Unlike his arrival in Karachi with great pomp and show on March 24, former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf arrived in the capital Monday night through a chartered flight after a brief stay in Lahore due to bad weather conditions and silently was escorted by the security agencies for a stay in his Chak Shahzad Farmhouse.
A senior officer bearer of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) confirmed that his party president Musharraf had reached his farmhouse. Earlier, APML had planned for his media talk at the airport; however, Musharraf did not utter a single word and silently left for his private residence.
Ahead of Musharraf's arrival in the capital city, heavy contingents of police and Rangers were deployed in and around the Benazir Bhutto International Airport and the routes leading towards his farmhouse.
The conditions in Islamabad for Musharraf, who is also contesting elections from a constituency of Islamabad (NA 48) under the banner of APML would be different for him in the capital when he would arrive there after more than four years.
A senior official of the ICT Police said that 50 police personnel had been deployed for the personal security of Pervez Musharraf and SSP Security Mir Waiz was looking into the whole security arrangements. Similarly, being the former chief of army staff, he is officially entitled for six or eight army commandos for his security. Some Rangers personnel would also remain on standby position for the security of Musharraf.
The police official said that police had also been deployed at Musharraf's Farmhouse where he will be staying. The government has already arranged bulletproof vehicles for the former military ruler to provide him foolproof security. The Interior Ministry had already directed the ICT Police for the provision of security to Musharraf.
The police have also put roadblocks on all the ways leading towards the farmhouse of Pervez Musharraf and security personnel in plain clothes had also been deployed there.
Earlier, a trial court had ordered for the confiscation of President Musharraf's Chak Shahzad Farmhouse due to his non-appearance as an accused in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case. He has been declared a pro-claimed offender in the case. Later, Islamabad High Court (IHC) had issued a stay order against the trial court order on the application of his spouse Sehba Musharraf vacating the stay order.
An office bearer of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) said that his party president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf had flown from Karachi through a chartered flight for Islamabad but the civil aviation authorities got diverted his flight to Lahore due to bad weather conditions. After his brief stay at the VIP Lounge at Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore, he left for Islamabad, he added.
The party office bearer claimed that a number of party workers remained gathered outside the airport to welcome him, as the airport authorities did not permit their entry in the airport premises due to security reasons. He said that workers were present outside the airport despite the fact it had been raining in the city since Monday afternoon. "Some of our convoys were stopped on their way to airport - one such convoy led by party's Islamabad chapter president Chaudhry Shafiqu was stopped at Koral Chowk and the some party workers coming from Rawalpindi were stopped at Rawal Chowk - however, later they were allowed to go towards airport," he said. A number of students of local seminaries including Jamia Hafsa and Lal Mosque had already planned for protests at the arrival of Musharraf in the capital in reaction to his decision of La Masjid operation in 2007. The police have taken extra security measures as a pre-emptive measure to overcome such protests.