Pervez Musharraf planning to return to politics: Aide

ISLAMABAD: Former president Pervez Musharraf is planning to return to Pakistan from self-exile and head the newly formed All Pakistan Muslim League, his top aide said today.

"We have organised co-ordinating councils, we call them, which are at present involved in recruiting people or getting people to join All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) which is the political party, which Inshah Allah, be led by president Musharraf and will bring the sort of progress and prosperity to Pakistan that it had in time when Musharraf was around," retired general Rashid Qureshi said.

Qureshi, who was the military and presidential spokesperson for Musharraf, has been in the forefront in setting up the APML.

"You see, earlier on, president Musharraf was not actively involved in politics. Yes, he was at one time, the chief executive of the country and later on the President of Pakistan. But the political side was being handled by the PML(Q) and all political decisions were taken by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Parvez Ilahi, obviously in consultation with the president," he said.

"Some of these political decisions turned out to be not very popular with the people of Pakistan," he added.

Musharraf has lived outside Pakistan since mid-April last year. He left Pakistan after a slew of cases were filed against him in courts across the country. Musharraf is mostly based in London after leaving the country.

The former president was forced to step down as army chief in November 2008 and was earlier barred from active politics in the country for two years.

Nawaz to devise new strategy against govt.

LAHORE: Quaid Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Mian Mohammed Nawaz Sharif has sought news proposals from senior party members in order to evolve new strategies against government, Geo news reported.

Nawaz Sharif seeks full stop against corruption of leaders of ruling party.

According to PML-N’s sources, the new face of Nawaz’s rigid and rude tone is a part of new strategy adopted against corruption of government leaders.

Instead of favouring or opposing mid-term elections, Nawaz Sharif will now unveil corruption of ruling leaders to award those involved the due punishment, sources told Geo news.

Also, Nawaz Sharif has directed senior party leaders of submitting requisitions to convene session of National Assembly soon.

The next NA session will witness debate on corruption cases of leaders and their associates.

Musharraf attack accused refused bail

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has rejected the bail application moved by an accused allegedly involved in a suicide attack on former president Pervez Musharraf, and adjourned the proceedings for a week.

The proceedings of the case of the suicide attack on Musharraf were resumed in ATC-I, where Judge Malik Akram Awan rejected the bail application of the accused, Rana Faqir Hussain, saying the crimes he was accused of were of a serious nature.

Civil Lines police station arrested Faqir in 2005, charging him of driving one of the three explosive-laden vehicles deployed to hit Musharraf‘s convoy. Musharraf escaped the attempt on his life, but 15 people, including 3 policemen, were killed. Meanwhile, Judge Akram Awan convicted an accused, Umer Adeel Khan, in another case regarding a suicide attack at RA Bazaar Rawalpindi and sought witnesses from the prosecution on July 19. tahir rashid