Pakistani Taliban Threaten to Assassinate Ex-President Pervez Musharraf
CNN: The Pakistani Taliban vowed to assassinate former President Pervez Musharraf if he returns to the country as planned Sunday, a spokesman for the terrorist group said in a video message online.

Tehrik-i-Taliban will send out a "death squad" to kill him, Ehsanullah Ehsan said Saturday.

One of the squad members addressed Musharraf in English, demanding the former president surrender himself.

After resigning in 2008, Musharraf spent five years in self-imposed exile in London and Dubai.

He plans to fly on a commercial airline into Karachi on Sunday, then attend a rally that will include Pakistani expatriates from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, he has said in a statement.

He plans to lead his political party into Pakistan's general elections slated for May. » | Aliza Kassim | CNN | Saturday, March 23, 2013

BB [Benazir Bhutto] Murder: Court Directs FIA [Federal Investigation Agency] to Contact Interpol for Musharraf's Arrest
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE: A Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to contact Interpol for the arrest of former president Pervez Musharraf in the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

The case hearing has been adjourned until the end of April. » | Saturday, March 26, 2011

London Calling Mubarak
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Is Egypt's ex-president, Hosni Mubarak, about to join the long list of political exiles who have sought a safe haven in the capital, asks Michael Burleigh.

It was reported at the weekend that a Pakistani court has issued a warrant for the arrest of the former president, Pervez Musharraf. The authorities apparently wish to question him over the protection – or lack of it – surrounding Benazir Bhutto, the opposition leader assassinated by the Taliban in 2007. Leaving aside the merits of the case, it is telling that if they want to find Mr Musharraf, then the place to look is London. Sharp-eyed browsers in one of the capital's smarter stores recently saw him shopping for sofas with his wife. He has joined a long line of foreign exiles who have found a home in the capital, some more welcome than others.

Indeed, the next on the list could be Hosni Mubarak, ousted from power in Egypt. He is currently living in his palatial villa in the resort town of Sharm el Sheikh, and several Arab countries have offered him a bolt-hole should he need to leave the country. But he might consider London to be a more tempting destination (if we'll have him, that is).

The ex-president's family, including his half-Welsh wife Suzanne, already have close connections to the capital. Their son Gamal – nicknamed "Jimmy" by his British chums – has often been sighted in London, where he owns a six-storey, multi-million-pound Regency townhouse a short walk from Harrods. Gamal has a liking for the hospitality of Belgravia's finest restuarants and private clubs, and his wife enjoys shopping in Selfridges.

Mubarak Jnr, a former banker, was being groomed to succeed his father before the Egyptian people took a hand, and, at the height of the popular uprising, he was allegedly seen at Cairo airport with his wife and daughter loading 97 bags on to a private jet bound for London, though this was denied by the embassy.

So, if Mubarak himself is finally forced into exile, will he too be Belgravia-bound? With an estimated $30 billion salted in various foreign banks, he will be any estate agent's dream client – provided he can get his hands on the money.

But should we as a nation be welcoming deposed dictators here? And what is it about London that draws such figures? >>> Michael Burleigh | Monday, February 14, 2011

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Egypt sets six-month target for elections: Egypt's new military rulers tried to reassure protesters they were sincere about political reform, announcing they were suspending the constitution, dissolving parliament, and setting a six-month target for full elections. >>> Richard Spencer, Cairo and Praveen Swami, Diplomatic Editor | Sunday, February 13, 2011


THE TIMES: Democracy will give power to Islamists, but. . .
>>> Bronwen Maddox * | Monday, February 14, 2011 [£]

* Bronwen Maddox is Editor of Prospect Magazine

Middle eastern democracy: Is the middle east ill-suited to democracy? Can America impose it? Or are home-grown models already showing signs of life? >>> | Sunday, April 20, 2003

Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom >>> Mark Alexander | Friday, April 20, 2007

Arrest Warrant for Pervez Musharraf Issued by Pakistani Court
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A court in Pakistan has issued an arrest warrant for Pervez Musharraf, the former military ruler, in connection with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Prosecutors claim he was aware that Taliban extremists planned to kill the former prime minister but that he failed to stop her murder in Rawalpindi.

The warrant could end his plans to return to Pakistan to contest elections.

Mr Musharraf has lived in London ever since being forced from power in 2008, months after Mrs Bhutto was killed in a bomb and gun attack as she left an election rally.

On Saturday, his spokesman said he had no intention of returning to face court and that the warrant was politically motivated.

"How can the president of a country be made responsible for the non-provision of security? It's totally ridiculous, you cannot pin criminal responsibility on a president for that," said Fawad Chaudhry. >>> Rob Crilly in Islamabad | Saturday, February 12, 2011

SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Haftbefehl gegen Pakistans Ex-Präsident Musharraf erlassen: Drei Jahre nach dem tödlichen Anschlag auf die frühere pakistanische Regierungschefin Benazir Bhutto ist gegen den damaligen Präsidenten Pervez Musharraf wegen mutmasslicher Verstrickung in den Fall Haftbefehl erlassen worden. >>> sda/godc | Samstag, 12. Februar 2011

Musharraf Opens Up On Politics

Musharraf avoue avoir détourné l'aide américaine
Pervez Musharraf (ici en mars 2009) réside depuis plusieurs mois à Londres. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: L'ancien général-président a utilisé des fonds destinés à la lutte contre les talibans pour renforcer son dispositif militaire face à l'Inde.

Retiré du pouvoir depuis plus d'un an et quasiment en exil à Londres depuis plusieurs mois, Pervez Musharraf continue de faire des vagues. L'ancien général-président pakistanais, qui a démissionné le 18 août 2008, vient d'admettre qu'il avait détourné l'aide américaine consentie au Pakistan pour lutter contre les talibans dans les zones tribales, en bordure de l'Afghanistan, au profit d'un renforcement militaire à la frontière avec l'Inde. «C'était dans l'intérêt du Pakistan, voilà pourquoi j'ai agi ainsi», a-t-il déclaré à la chaîne de télévision pakistanaise Express News. «Et je me moque bien de savoir si cela met les États-Unis en colère», a-t-il poursuivi, soulignant dans la foulée qu'il n'avait pas eu d'autre choix que de faire alliance avec les Américains en 2001. «Ils menaçaient de bombarder le Pakistan !», a-t-il rappelé.

Cette confession tardive est un pied de nez à Washington, qui n'a jamais osé «froisser» son allié pakistanais en lui demandant des comptes sur les 11 milliards de dollars déboursés en sa faveur depuis 2001. Elle place aussi le gouvernement civil d'Islamabad dans une position difficile à l'heure où, aux États-Unis, le Congrès doit se prononcer sur un nouveau paquet financier pour le Pakistan. Cet apport d'argent frais est avant tout destiné à aider le pays à faire face à la crise humanitaire sans précédent engendrée par les opérations de l'armée contre les talibans. Au printemps, plus de deux millions de personnes ont fui la région de Malakand et la vallée de Swat. Depuis la semaine dernière, de nouveaux réfugiés déferlent sur Peshawar en provenance de la passe de Khyber où le conflit fait rage. Clinton attendue en octobre >>> Marie-France Calle, correspondante du Figaro à New Delhi | Lundi 14 Septembre 2009

Qaeda's Zawahiri Slams Musharraf as 'Enemy of Islam'
AFP: DUBAI — Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri slammed Pakistan's embattled President Pervez Musharraf as an enemy of Islam, in a first audio message in English posted online on Saturday.

In the message, excerpts of which were aired by Pakistan's ARY One television last week, Zawahiri also dismissed the Pakistani army as a "band of mercenaries" controlled by the US administration.

"Pervez (Musharraf) has proven himself to be one of the biggest enemies of Islam, if the not the biggest," Zawahiri said in the purported message, which was posted on a website usually used by Islamist militant groups.

He chided Musharraf for offering "all support to topple the Muslim emirate in Afghanistan," referring to the US-led war which defeated the Taliban regime in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

"Is the Pakistan Army an army defending Muslims, or merely a security service agency or a band of mercenaries which kills Muslims ... to please its masters, the neo-crusaders in the White House," he said, in an apparent attempt to incite Muslim Pakistanis against the army. Qaeda's Zawahiri Slams Musharraf as 'Enemy of Islam' >>> | August 16, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Pervez Musharraf Resigns as Pakistani President >>> By Jeremy Page and Zahid Hussain, in Islamabad | August 18, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

Clouds Gather as ‘Sulky’ Musharraf Retreats to Bunker
THE GUARDIAN: In some ways life has changed little for Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, since Monday's election. The retired general still trots out for afternoon tennis, aides say, and enjoys a game of bridge a few times a week. In the evenings he pulls on a cigar and, although he can't admit it, nurses a glass of whisky.

Visitors still call to see him at Army House, the marble-floored Rawalpindi residence of Pakistan's military chiefs, even though he retired three months ago. "It has been renamed Presidential Lodge," said spokesman Rashid Qureshi. "The normal routine is functioning."

But outside clouds are gathering. The spectacular rout of his Pakistan Muslim League (Q) party at the polls has shorn the retired commando of his political base, leaving him isolated and exposed.

"He's been sulking," said a senior party official. "He's retreated into a mental bunker, which is not healthy. He thinks everyone is out to get him and only listens to a small circle. It's a dangerous mindset to be in at this point in time. He could decide to hit back."

Musharraf's bad mood stems from the prospect of Nawaz Sharif, the rotund prime minister from Punjab he ousted in a 1999 coup and banished to Saudi Arabia a year later, returning to power. Sharif, who controls the second biggest party in parliament, the Pakistan Muslim League (N) has vowed to oust Musharraf at the earliest opportunity. "The nation has given its verdict. The sooner he accepts it the better," said Sharif.

But Musharraf, targeted at least twice by al-Qaida assassins, has a knack for survival. And he has at least one loyal friend left. Shortly after the electoral drubbing George Bush paused on a trip to Africa to pay warm tribute to him. He sounded less enthusiastic about Sharif's ascent. The message filtered quickly through the lines. In Washington the state department urged the opposition to work with Musharraf. In Islamabad American diplomats engaged in frantic talks with the opposition.

Senior officials from all parties told the Guardian they were trying to broker a deal that would ensure Musharraf stays in power. The PML (Q) official said his party was being pressured by US embassy officials hoping for a coalition between their party with Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's party, now led by her widower, Asif Ali Zardari.

"The Americans want a German-style grand coalition including the PPP," he said. "They want Musharraf to stick around, even if it's a diminished Musharraf." Clouds gather as 'sulky' Musharraf retreats to bunker: Despite US support, president is isolated in battle for power >>> By Declan Walsh in Islamabad

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Imran Khan to Face Terror Charges
THE TELEGRAPH: Imran Khan, the Pakistani opposition leader and former cricketer, was facing terrorism charges yesterday after being arrested in a crackdown on rivals by President Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Khan, who had been in hiding since escaping from house arrest a day after Gen Musharraf declared emergency rule, appeared at a student demonstration in Lahore. He was promptly detained by hardline students and handed over to police, the authorities said.

A senior police official said that Mr Khan, the leader of a small opposition party, would be charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Jemima Khan, his former wife, said the arrest was one more sign that Gen Musharraf had "become one of Pakistan's most brutal and oppressive dictators ever".

The president, meanwhile, set himself on a collision course with the United States by defying demands to lift a state of emergency before holding a general election.

Gen Musharraf, increasingly isolated and reduced to taking a series of autocratic measures to maintain his grip on power, indicated that emergency rule might continue for months. Imran Khan faces terror charges after arrest (more) By Isambard Wilkinson

THE DAILY MAIL:
'I fear for my life', says jailed Imran Khan

Mark Alexander