LONDON, Sept 11 (AFP) - Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf vowed to return to politics in a bid to restore the country's self-confidence and thinks he could become president again.
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The retired army general told the BBC he would form a new political party and stand for parliament at the next general election in 2013.
The ex-president said he would return to Pakistan before then and acknowledged that doing so would be risking his life. The 67-year-old said he was not scared of possible legal cases against him and insisted that he had to try to lift Pakistan out of its “pathetic situation”.
He admitted his popularity had waned but said it was still strong among the majority of Pakistanis who do not vote. “Two hundred percent I will participate in the next election. Standing for myself. Standing for a party that I'll create,” Musharraf said Friday in London, where he lives in exile.
“I do intend creating a new party because I think the time has come in Pakistan when we need to introduce a new political culture: a culture which can take Pakistan forward on a correct democratic path, not on an artificial, make-believe democratic path.” Musharraf said he would launch the new party “in the very near future” but would not return home for the moment.
Asked if he was confident of becoming the next president of Pakistan, the former army chief replied: “No I can't be assured, I can't be confident, but I believe there is a good chance of my winning on the political scene. |
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