Musharraf desperate to unite PML factions

LONDON: Former president Pervez Musharraf has told his key aides that his return to Pakistan would be a real-life possibility only when all the Muslim League factions, except the PML-N, unite under his leadership or come to a united platform to give him enough political muscle.

Insiders, including Musharraf fans and political workers who held meetings with him at his London residence last week where he is living without the security protocol provided by the UK government, revealed to The News on condition of anonymity the true feelings inside the Musharraf camp. Musharraf made headlines with his announcement to return to Pakistan.

Barrister Saif and Maj-Gen (retd) Rashid Qureshi had especially flown from Pakistan to hold talks with Musharraf and his supporters from the UK and the European countries, who had been invited two weeks before the arrival of the two men. Prior to his arrival here, Barrister Saif announced the registration of the All Pakistan Muslim League as a vehicle for Musharraf’s return to the country, which is hostile to him at the moment.

The former military strongman made it clear to his supporters that bringing the Chaudhrys of Gujrat into the fold of a united Muslim League remains his top priority and all efforts should be made to convince them to join Musharraf again in his political mission. The Chaudhrys and Musharraf camp have traded allegations but The News can confirm that Musharraf has opened a contact line with the Chaudhrys.

A key Musharraf aide told this correspondent that the MQM, Functional Muslim League, Ham-Khayal Group and Ijaz-ul-Haq were in contact with Musharraf and had given him a green signal for support in the political scenario of Pakistan.

The insider said that the MQM’s assurance of support was reassuring for the former president and it had made him more assertive and confident in his talks with the other parties. He instructed his supporters not to say a word against the Chaudhry brothers.

“Contacts with the Chaudhrys were fraught till recently but now Musharraf and Chadhurys speak regularly and a meeting may take place soon,” said a Musharraf aide, who denied any meeting had taken place between Musharraf and Pervez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi, who happened to be in London at the time of the marathon meetings at Musharraf’s residence and flew to the United States of America, according to unconfirmed reports, at almost the same time.

Musharraf is in the US for another two days to deliver lectures and will depart for Dubai within a week or so. Key negotiators from various Muslim League factions had already been instructed to reach Dubai for talks with the former president and some powerful behind-the-scene players will be present there too. Musharraf’s wife and mother will join him in Dubai, where he plans to spend time as his interest in Pakistani politics had grown with the fall in ratings of both Zardari and Nawaz Sharif. So far, thousands of Pakistanis have visited Musharraf’s residence in deference to the former dictator. They are either his fans and supporters or political workers with bulk of them from the PML-Q, who really believe that Chaudhrys should join Musharraf.

At the final session of the meetings, Musharraf had announced that he would himself look after the matters of his party at the UK and European level; Nasim Ashraf will be responsible for the US-related affairs; but intriguingly he didn’t say who will be in-charge of his party’s affairs in Pakistan, leaving both Saif and Qureshi stunned. The friction and tension inside the Musharraf house was visible because of the contrasting priorities and jostling for the party positions.

A PML-Q leader, who has been close to Musharraf, said many people had come close to Musharraf in recent months and they were his fans rather than political operators or street activists. “General Saab should keep in view the case of Imran Khan,” he said, adding: “Mr Khan gets swarmed by his fans and lovers wherever he goes... He should be able to see the difference but some people around him are misleading him for their own petty reasons.”