Musharraf launches political comeback

Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf vowed Friday to return to politics in his home country as he launched a new party in London, where he has spent the past two years in self-imposed exile.
Speaking at a packed press conference, he said the All Pakistan Muslim League would be a party of "national salvation", and said the majority of Pakistanis lived in poverty under the current government.

Pervez Musharraf told a packed press conference of cheering supporters at the former National Liberal Club in Westminster that he had made mistakes while in office.
But, launching the All Pakistan Muslim League, he added: "The time has come to make Pakistan into a progressive, modern Islamic state." Musharraf, 67, said Pakistan's current leaders were failing to "show any signs of light in the darkness that prevails in Pakistan".

The former general came to power in a bloodless military coup in 1999 and founded the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) in 2002.
He quit in August 2008 after a new government led by Pakistan People's Party of Benazir Bhutto threatened to impeach him and was replaced by Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari.
Speaking at a debate in London earlier this week, Musharraf warned it was only a matter of time before there was a military coup.
But Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's ambassador to Britain said: "He doesn't have the same kind of clout he did. He's yesterday's man."

Former Pakistan president accuses West of 'failure of leadership' in Afghanistan

He said the Taliban could be defeated, but only if Western troops were not pulled out because political leaders feared unpopularity.

General Musharraf, who l

ed Pakistan for nine years from 1999 after taking power in a military coup and now lives in exile in London, is launching his All Pakistan Muslim League political party.
Gen Musharraf told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: ''There is a failure of leadership. Nobody is educating the people who are demanding their soldiers (should) come back that this would be the worst decision. This will be a blunder.

''People here or in the United States think you are fighting someone else's war.

''When the leaders do not tell the masses for political reasons, the mass appeal is to get your soldiers back, but that is not the right think to do.''

Asked if he believed the Taliban could be defeated, he replied: ''Yes indeed. I think they can be defeated.''

Gen Musharraf said he would return to Pakistan: ''There is no charge against me. There are other dangers. I will take the risk but I will take the risk at the right time.''
Asked if the risk was assassination, he replied: ''A possibility, yes.''