Former President Pervez Musharraf is Back in Pakistan

Former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf is back in his country after a four year self-imposed exile. Even with death threats and pending cases against him, he said he will lead his party, All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), and he will also be participating in the coming May general elections.

Returning at a Dangerous Time

The 69 -year-old Musharraf has been receiving death threats; one of the latest was a threat from the Taliban warning him with the use of snipers and suicide bombers. He also has outstanding court cases for a variety of charges including murder and conspiracy. However, the courts have allowed him entry and temporary freedom under protective bail. It is ironic that one of the cases filed against him stems from the inadequate security afforded to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. As soon as she arrived from exile in 2007, an attempt on her life was mounted. Two explosions, greeted her arrival. This resulted in the death of 140 people. Bhutto was later killed in December of 2007 in Rawalpindi.

The government has made sure that no untoward incidents would occur, as Musharraf was greeted by heavy security in the form of armed commandos at the airport.

Widely loved

The former President spent his five-year exile in Dubai and London. Supporters have booked an entire Emirates flight for the trip back to Karachi. There were an additional 200 or more supporters who saw him off. He has kept on vowing that he would go back to Pakistan.

He has shown himself to be tech-savvy, exclaiming that he is more popular than Imran Khan. Citing the number of followers he has on Facebook, he was proud to announce that he has 770,000 followers, which is 120,000 more than former General Khan. He also has a Twitter account which his followers use to read his news.

Pervez Musharraf was a four-star general in the Pakistan Army before he came to power courtesy of a coup d’etat in 1999. The then Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif was first placed under house arrest. During his rule, he was considered one of the world’s worst dictator. Protesters were not allowed to rally. They were not given a permit. Prior to his departure, Saudi Arabian authorities advised against his coming back to Pakistan.

Unrest in Pakistan

In the meantime, the situation in Pakistan is becoming more volatile. News of bombings in and around Karachi are making headlines.

In the north-west Pakistan region of Waziristan, 17 soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber, and another 34 soldiers and three civilians were reported as injured. A car bomb was parked beside two fuel trucks at a checkpoint. When the car exploded, it acted as a wick for the two trucks. The explosion lit the trucks on fire, and the nearby military living quarters. Eyewitnesses as far away as 14 kilometers saw and heard the explosion.

The soldiers were in the area to build roads. This was part of the military’s efforts to woo the citizens of the Taliban controlled areas.