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Monday, Feb 18, 2008
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Hostility surprises Musharraf

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: For the first time, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has publicly admitted that his ruling alliance, dubbed the “King’s party” may not be able to form a government after Monday’s elections.

In a rare moment of candour, he has also acknowledged his almost total isolation in his own country suggesting that he is surviving on Western support.

In an interview to Jemima Khan, former wife of the cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, Gen. (retd.) Musharraf said there was a “question mark” whether the governing alliance comprising his PML(Q)and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)would be able to form a government.

“They will certainly have a majority. Whether they will be able to form a government is a question mark,” he said.

Near-rout predicted

His remarks came as western observers predicted a near-rout for the ruling coalition and Imran Khan told Sky TV that “80 per cent” of the voters were against the regime.

However, President Musharraf dismissed opinion polls as biased, conducted by groups hostile to him. In the interview, published in The Independent on Sunday newspaper, President Musharraf acknowledged the hostility against him and said he could not understand why.

“The media have let me down…The NGOs are against me. I don’t know why. I think I have been the strongest proponent of human rights,” he said.

The only people not against him, Ms. Khan quoted him as saying, were the Western leaders who were “absolutely supportive” and “express total solidarity.”

He also said that he was forced to drop corruption charges against Benazir Bhutto under western pressure.

“Yes, I agree with you [that charges should not have been dropped]. But then Benazir had good contacts abroad, in your country, who thought she was the future of the country,” he retorted.

“Father figure”

PTI reports:

Gen. Musharraf said he would act as a “father figure” to the country’s new Prime Minister. “My role as a President is simply the checks and balances, the seatbelts... a sort of father figure to the Prime Minister, but I won’t have to see him for weeks.”

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