Islamabad: Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has received support from his former military colleagues as he plans to return home from self-exile in London.
The Pakistan First Group (PFG), formed by his supporters Saturday, has demanded the government to provide the protocol of a former head of state to Musharraf.
Maj. Gen. (retd) Rashid Qureshi, former director-general of ISPR, the military's media wing, said PFG is a non-political entity. He did not rule out a political role for the group.
Musharraf currently heads the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) party.
The PFG has been created as an apolitical pressure group to counter the propaganda campaign currently being run against the army and the ISI (Inter Services Intelligence).
"However, we are witnessing clear undertones and the group may join politics in the coming weeks and months," the daily Dawn Monday quoted Qureshi as saying.
He said: "The other day I talked to the former president (Musharraf). We will meet in Dubai Jan 25 to take a final decision in this regard. The PFG unanimously supports the former president's plans to return to the country and take part in elections."
Some 150 retired officers of the three services announced the creation of the PFG at a hotel here Saturday and unanimously called for safe return of Musharraf.
IANS
First Published: Monday, January 23, 2012, 22:55