Musharraf issue is Pakistan’s internal matter, says UK

LONDON: British government has said that Pervez Musharraf’s predicament in Pakistan is “a matter for Pakistan” and that the legal proceeding against the former military ruler “needs to run its course”.
A spokesman at the Foreign & Commonwealth (FCO) told The News that Pervez Musharraf’s issue was Pakistan’s internal matter and the UK would not like to get itself involved.
When asked if the UK would intervene on behalf of Musharraf for his exit from Pakistan, the spokesman clarified that the UK’s relationship with Pakistan “goes beyond an individual and is rooted in the strong ties between our nations”.
The spokesperson added: “We pay tribute to the people of Pakistan who have sacrificed so much in combating terrorism. The UK works in partnership with Pakistan and is providing expertise in support of Pakistan’s developing strategy on counter terrorism as part of our longstanding relationship.”
When asked if Pervez Musharraf will be provided security upon his possible return to the UK, the spokesperson refused to comment on the “individual” case but separately a security source told The News that it’s unlikely that the Scotland Yard will provide security to Musharraf if he returns to his £1.5 million flat near Edgware Rd in Central London.
The government source said that Musharraf will have to pay for his own security if he needs it or in another scenario he will be provided security if the request comes from Pakistani government. Its impossible that the PML-N government will place such a request but if Pakistan’s military asks the UK to help with Musharraf’s security then the UK is most likely to oblige.
Musharraf made London his home after leaving Pakistan in August 2008 and spent most of the time here. It was due to Britain’s involvement in facilitating the infamous National Reconciliation Order (NRO) and Musharraf’s central role in it that the UK government agreed to provide VIP level of security to Musharraf while he lived in London.
In the beginning, more than half a dozen Scotland Yard protection officers shadowed Musharraf and accompanied him in two security cars while he was in public.
The News had disclosed on April 27, 2010 that the British government has decided to withdraw Musharraf’s security contingent. The decision was taken following the release of United Nations inquiry report on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, in December 2007 in a bomb attack in Rawalpindi, which lambasted Musharraf for failing to provide adequate security to Benazir Bhutto after her return to Pakistan when the danger to her life from the militants was obvious. At that time, at least three most trusted Special Services Group (SSG) men also provided full-time security duty to Musharraf but the British government told Musharraf that visas of the SSG men will not be extended.
Musharraf was without any security around the time Dr Imran Farooq was assassinated in London in September 2010. Dr Farooq’s murder made the UK authorities to re-think and then a new security plan was agreed.
Then onwards, Musharraf was able to have two Scotland Yard officers with him for public gatherings and lived alone with Begum Sehba Musharraf in their high security apartment which can be accessed through a special security code and has security at the reception.
The UK government had come under pressure from reports in the local English press that thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money had been spent protecting former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf. It was reported that it was costing at least £25,000 a day for the round-the-clock protection of Musharraf in London.
Ifzaal Siddiqui, All Pakistan Muslim League’s UK and Europe Secretary General, said that Pervez Musharraf will be welcomed if he decides to settle in London in the future. “Musharraf has a large number of supporters here who remember him as a leader who minimised corruption under his watch and ensured that overseas Pakistanis are not harassed at airports and plundered through patwari and thana culture, as prevalent now. What’s happening to him is unbelievable and brings disrepute to Pakistan. He is our hero and we will facilitate him here in every possible way, including arranging security for him privately if needed.”