Pakistan’s Musharraf dismisses Taliban threat
As Pakistan’s former President Pervez Musharraf prepares to return from exile on Sunday, he insists he is “not scared” of the Taliban’s threat to kill him.
Pakistan’s Taliban has warned in a video that it will despatch suicide bombers and snipers to kill the former president when he returns from exile to contest elections.
Mr Musharraf angered the Taliban and other groups by aligning himself with the US war on terror following the 9/11 attacks and by later launching a major crackdown on militancy in Pakistan.
He is due to return home on Sunday after nearly four years of self-imposed exile in Dubai and London, in time to take part in parliamentary elections on May 11.
‘Send Musharraf to hell’
Adnan Rasheed, who took part in a previous attempt to assassinate Mr Musharraf, warned in a Taliban video: “The mujahideen of Islam have prepared a special squad to send Musharraf to hell. There are suicicde bombers, snipers, a special assault unit and a close combat team”.
Yet in an interview in Dubai today, Mr Musharraf said: “They have been trying to ‘send me to hell’ (since) 9/11 which means that it’s 12 years now, which means they haven’t been able to do that. I’m not the kind to get scared. I don’t care about them”.
He said he expects the government to provide him with security but so far there has been no response to his request and as a result he would be bringing private security with him.
“I’m not scared, I’m emotionally looking forward to going back to Pakistan,” he said.
They have been trying to ‘send me to hell’ (since) 9/11. Pervez Musharraf
Mr Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, resigned in 2008 when his allies lost a vote and a new government threatened him with impeachment. He left the country a year later.
The former army general faces charges of failing to provide adequate security to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto before her assassination in 2007. He also faces charges in connection with the death of a Baluch seperatist leader.
Support in Pakistan
However he said has been granted bail in advance to avoid being arrested upon his return on Sunday.
“This is a pre-arrest bail, or pre-arrival bail, and it has been granted on all cases, there is no question on me getting arrested when I land in Pakistan,” he said.
“My arrest warrants were merely because of non-appearance in the courts, not that there is any case proven against me,” he said. “When I appear in the courts…the reason for my arrest should disappear,”
Earlier this month, Musharraf said he planned to take part in upcoming parliamentary elections, and hopes his presence in the country would build up his support base.
I’m not looking forward to coming on the shoulders of external support. I have to have the support of the people of Pakistan. Pervez Musharraf
“Certainly there is support all over Pakistan in all provinces, but I call it dispersed support. What needs to be done is to consolidate this support,” he said.
“Dispersed support is weak support when you consolidate all of that it turns into strong support. But this is not possible without my going there. I have to lead from the front, this can’t be done by remote control sitting outside.”
It remains unclear whether Musharraf will manage to regain influence in Pakistan, where strong contenders for the election include Nawaz Sharif, the man he ousted in a military coup, and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.
Musharraf said he had not received any political or financial support from Saudi Arabia.
“I’m not looking forward to coming on the shoulders of external support. I have to have the support of the people of Pakistan,” he said.