Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf postpones plan to return to Pakistan

Pervez Musharraf on Sunday postponed his plans to return to Pakistan.

File photo (PTI)

Karachi: Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on Sunday postponed his plan to return to the country, saying he will not return until an interim government is formed, a media report said on Sunday.

The former president and chief of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), who has to appear before a special Pakistani court in a high treason case, has postponed his plan to return from the UAE as the incumbent government will not provide him the security he had applied for, a party leader said.

He is likely to return by end of May or even start of June as soon as a caretaker government is formed, the party leader told the Express Tribune.

APML's central leadership will finalise the date, he said.

The 74-year-old retired general has been living in Dubai since last year when he was allowed to leave Pakistan for medical treatment.

Musharraf, who had ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, had sought adequate security from the government for his return and his lawyer had moved a petition to the interior ministry, stating that the former president faced security threats.

The party has decided that a new application will be filed to the federal government seeking foolproof security for Musharraf.

The former military ruler was indicted in March, 2014 on treason charges for imposing emergency in the country which led to the confinement of a number of superior court judges in their houses and sacking of over 100 judges.

He has been declared "proclaimed offender" by courts in the treason and the Benazir Bhutto assassination cases.

Musharraf is set to reach out to his political allies in May, the daily said.

Quoting party sources, the daily said Musharraf's party will look to form an alliance against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to step out as political force in the upcoming elections.

Up till now the party has allied itself with the Pakistan Awami Ittehad which will later be renamed as Muttahida League and will take part in the general forthcoming elections.

Musharraf will try to garner support from other parties including PTI, PML-Q, PML-F, BAP and MQM-P.

He will meet the leadership of these parties on his return, the daily said.