Pervez Musharraf could be back as head of new Pakistan party ahead of local body polls

Islamabad: Pakistan’s former military dictator Pervez Musharraf could soon stage a political comeback as head of a new party combining all factions of the Muslim League except the ruling PML-N of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ahead of local body elections. Efforts have been intensified to form the party – United Muslim League – after uniting all factions of Muslim League except Sharif’s PML-N.

PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Saturday held a meeting with 72-year-old Musharraf, head of All Pakistan Muslim League at his residence in Karachi and agreed to merge all factions except PML-N to form a “new look party”. “I met with General Musharraf, PML-Functional chief Pir Pagara Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi and former Sindh chief minister Syed Ghaus Ali Shah, who was once a close aide of Sharif.

They all are unanimous on formation of the United Muslim League,” Hussain told reporters. He said efforts are also on to take all those Muslim League leaders and workers on board who are not happy with the policies of the Sharif brothers – Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif.

The new party is likely to be formed before local body elections scheduled to be held by the end of the year. There has been a feeling in all Muslim League factions except PML-N, that they should be united and form a new political force to challenge the PML-N and Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

They believe that under Musharraf’s leadership all the Muslim League factions can perform well. Musharraf returned to Pakistan in 2013 after over four years in self-exile but faces a slew of legal cases including the high profile treason case under Article 6 of the Constitution for imposing emergency in the country in 2007, the first army chief to face such a prosecution. He has also been charged in the judges’ detention case.