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What next for Musharraf?

ISLAMABAD: A day after he stepped down as President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf’s next move is still a big mystery.

It is still not clear if there is a dried-and-sealed agreement between him and the government that he would not be tried for any of his actions as President, and whether he has decided to go abroad or wishes to continue living here.

In the National Assembly on Tuesday, members of the ruling coalition kept up the demand that the retired General Musharraf should be punished for his “crimes,” and called for a trial under Article 6 of the Constitution, which pertains to treason and prescribes the death penalty for those convicted.

Some members of the Opposition put up a brave defence of General Musharraf, saying he had quit “in the interest of the nation,” and should be allowed to go free so that country could quickly “bury the past” and move on.

Newspapers speculated on Tuesday that General Musharraf might fly out first to Mecca any day to perform the ‘umra’ — a smaller pilgrimage than the Hajj — and would travel onward from there to the U.S. where his son and brother live.

But for now, it appears that he is staying on in Army House at Rawalpindi, which used to be the official home of the Army chief, renamed as “Presidential Lodge” when he continued to stay there even after stepping down from his military office in October 2007.

“Umpteen times he has said he will not go anywhere, that he will live here,” said Major-General (retd.) Rashid Qureshi, who was General Musharraf’s spokesman.

“I am not his godfather that I know if he will live here for ever, whether he will go somewhere tomorrow or the day after. I don’t know. People are still spreading rumours about him,” he added.

There is no official word from the government on what happens to General Musharraf now, and there is no word about his plans from any of his supporters either.

A report in the Dawn from Washington quoting diplomatic sources said General Musharraf did not want to give the impression he was fleeing the country and turned down an offer from the government to fly him out of Pakistan after the resignation.

Instead, the newspaper said he had opted for a “phased approach.’ He would stay on in Pakistan for a while under the protection of the Army before leaving. He was initially adamant on staying on in the country, but close aides had convinced him he would never be safe here.

General Musharraf is said to have ruled out Saudi Arabia as a place where he could live as it would not give him the freedom to act and speak as he liked, but he may stay on there for some time after his ‘umra’ before deciding where to go, said the newspaper.

Turkey, too, was ruled out as it was too close to Iraq and thus accessible to Al-Qaeda, on whose hit list he figures. He may consider moving to the U.S. or even to London, said the newspaper.

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