Author Archive

Front Line with Kamran Shahid – 8th August 2011 – Karachi Politics

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Police Gang Rapes a woman – Front Line – 30th July 2011

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Sexual Harassment in Universities – Front Line with Kamran Shahid

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Your rape culture is not my religion

by Sana Saleem

That reporting a rape is an arduous ordeal is a truth that resounds globally. When braving for police investigations, enumerating the ordeal in court and damaging stereotypical media representations become a norm then the argument for a pellucid approach becomes preemptory.

In 2006, a much-heated debate on the Hudood Laws revealed the anatomy of rape, conflicting legalities involving misinterpretations of Shariah Laws and the deeply engrained distorted public perceptions. For those who followed the debate, there should be no qualms in admitting that it made the inherent flaws in interpretations of the law and the systematic distortion of a society sensitive to violence and abuse evident.
The women protection bill implemented later that year made it possible for a woman to convict on the basis of forensic and medical evidence. Aimed at encouraging women to report the crime, which was deterred due to the farcical ‘four witness’ rule enforced by the Hudood ordinance, the act has been strongly opposed by Jamaat-i-Islami, whose activists and leaders continue to lobby against the act.

Munawar Hassan

In a recent interview to a local news channel, Munawar Hassan of Jamaat-i-Islaami had the following to say:

Anchor: Why did you vehemently oppose the women protection act?
Munawar Hasan: Women protection act was not aimed at protecting women instead it is meant to promote vulgarity and obscenity in the society.
Anchor: What is the basis of your allegations?
Munawar Hasan: On the basis of which we opposed the act.
Anchor: The fundamental purpose of the women protection act was (is) to provide women with the right to file cases on the basis of circumstantial and forensic evidence, making convictions of rape easier. Where is the obscenity in that?
Munawar Hasan: This bill has been part of law for years, how has that affected the rights of women in Pakistan? What is the one issue that can be pointed out as a success of this law?
Anchor: One blaringly obvious problem with the Hudood law was the need to present four witnesses in order to convict a rapist, failure to do so resulted in the arrest of the woman on charges of confession to adultery, that was the main issue.
Munawar Hasan: What is the problem in that?
Anchor: The problem is this sir, that according to the 2003 national commission status of women report 80 per cent women were forced to languish in jails because of inability to produce witnesses of their rape.
Munawar Hasan: The objective of Islam is to discourage such acts, no one can be shameless enough to commit such an act in the presence of four people. Making it impossible to prove such acts, therefore the whole idea is to discourage bringing such acts into public light. Discouraging it to the extent that the act is never quoted. If such a crime occurs and since there are no witnesses than both men and women are suppose to keep it under wraps and not discuss it in public.
Anchor:Sir, are you suggesting that a woman should stay silent after she is raped? That she should not report the crime?
Munawar Hasan: I am saying she should keep quiet if she has no witnesses. If she has witnesses then she should present them.
Anchor: What kind of an argument is that? A woman is raped and she has to look for witnesses to prove the crime?
Munawar Hasan: Argue with the Quran and not me.
Anchor: I am not questioning the Quran, I am questioning your argument.

As it becomes evident, Munawar Hasan makes up for the lack of substance in his argument by accusing the anchor of speaking against the word of God, he then goes thus far as asking the anchor to read the ‘kalima’ and declare his faith. The anchor concludes the argument by suggesting that Islamic laws pertaining to rape should be respected but in the presence of facilities such as forensic study we should not refrain from conviction.

This for me, defeats the purpose of the entire debate. Firstly because the interpretation of the Shariah law as per Munawar Hasan is neither derived directly from the Quran nor is it widely accepted. The Hudood ordinance is based on interpretations of certain scholars; it is neither a unanimously accepted interpretation nor is it logical.

Rape is a crime and criminals tend to prefer committing the crime without leaving evidence or witnesses. The idea of having four witnesses present at the time of rape is irrational and absurd. Can anyone in their right mind imagine witnessing rape and not doing anything to stop or even report it? If not by law then by conscience, would they not feel complacent? Rape is much more than forceful sex. It is a power game; it is a way to overpower the victim both physically and psychologically and derive pleasure out of it. To discourage rape victims from reporting rape is serving the predatory nature of the rapist.

Similarly, the callously flaunted idea that women use rape as a tool for popularity, fame, and money or simply to attack Islamic principles is devoid of logic. For all we know, taking a rapist to court in Pakistan can put you behind bars, after dealing with the severe moral policing of course.

The arguments and logic provided by Munawar Hasan form a vivid example of rape culture. To elaborate rape culture, it is prevalent practices by which despite the rampant increase in sexual violence, rape (and other forms of violence) is condoned, considered a norm or worse considered tolerable. The most powerful tool to propagate such a culture is through moral policing the victim and by reinforcing the ‘she was asking for it’ mindset. To validate and rationalize rape and (or) sexual violence need a wide variety of beliefs that stem from an inherent misogynistic approach towards the social fabric.

Inconsistent application of law and moral policing the rape victim makes for a steady case for rape culture. Munawar Hasan isn’t the only practitioner and preacher of this culture, if we look at the way the accuser in
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of IMF, is being treated, one can be sure that rape culture is a globally adopted phenomena for which religion, moral, ethics or culture are mere ploys.

This is made much easier when done at the behest of religion and morals. The four witness rule as clear by all available translations and interpretations of the Quran is to be sought in case a woman is accused of fornication. The impossibility of four people witnessing the act was meant to make it tougher for the society to slander a woman. It is indeed heart wrenching to witness it being used to encourage violence against women and cultivate a culture of silence and shame.

I am not going to refrain from commenting on the interpretations simply because the Quran is meant and believed to be a book for guidance for all-alike — not just the scholars. Islam doesn’t preach a method of dependency, in fact the tone carried throughout the Quran addresses individuals directly, the entire concept is a spiritual and personal connection with God. Scholars are pursued to elaborate on various methods of law, but leaving them to impose their interpretations on us is faulty and damaging and works against the very principle of Islam. A faith that is threatened by introspection and one that is scared of evolution is fickle and convoluted.

Munawar Hasan is no ordinary politician; he is the Ameer of one of the oldest religious political party. For him to advocate the culture of silence and shame in the name of religion is a mockery of our beliefs. When we choose to allow scholars to use rhetoric to avoid questions we inadvertently become complacent If we choose to hold back our questions and remain silent in the face of such rhetoric we must brace ourselves to accept full liability of injustice to the victims of rape, all 2,903 of them.

Aik Din Geo Ke Sath – Tariq Aziz the founder of TV show Nilam ghar

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Pakistani Girls on Webcam Scandal in Yahoo and MSN Chat rooms

By Amna Gani

I wonder when the elders and parents of our society will wake up, perhaps when everything will be ruined for their families. They are simply not understanding the perils and the dangers of the virtual social activities of their children, especially of the girls.

Sehrish, a 14 year old girl from Rawalpindi was raped by three boys in a hotel in Murree for the whole day and then she was lucky enough to reach to her home through police. She lost her dignity and went through hell because she was a careless net surfer. Her family is a conservative family and she always used to observe veil in public, but her parents didnt know that the world was watching their daughter without clothes through the webcams in the nights.

Sehrish used to make friends on the net in the Yahoo chat rooms, and then just out of fun, she used to take off her clothes in front of webcam for the boys to see. She soon became a sensation in the chat room and every boy wanted to see her and make friendship of her. She with her fragile mind didnt know the dangers, and she thought that who knows her. One day she was asked by a boy in chatroom to meet him in Islamabad. After much insistance she thought what the heck and she went to meet him. The boy acted nice and dropped her back after a nice lunch.

Then such meetings became frequent and one day boy asked her to accompany him to Murree in morning. Sehrish was fearless  now. She went to Murree with him instead of going school. The boy took her to a hotel, and asked her that he wanted to see her nude live. She after some delay took her clothes off, and then the boy grabbed her and had a consensual sex. Sehrish wanted to go home now, but as both were laying naked in the  bed, two more boys emerged under the bed and grabbed Sehrish and then they raped her. She was abused for five hours then, and the boys didn’t let her go anywhere, and they plucked every part of her body, and then left her senseless in the hotel room. She was found by waiter, who submitted her to police, who contacted her family.

The story isn’t ended here. Her nude pics are circulating all over the chat rooms, and internet sites and Pakistani debonair blog and host of other sex sites in Pakistan, according to a member of that chat room, who actually broke this story to me. According to him, this is just not the one case, but there are numerous other like this.

Would we wake up now?

Babies are not worth much in Pakistan

By: Naveed Iqbal

The news of Pakistan topping the world league of still births creates a sense of indignation. It is yet another sad testament of the country’s health sector.

This is not a debate about political ideologies but of priorities.

Here in the UK, stillbirths are the highest amongst most developed countries. Although one can apportion some of these causes to placental problems, infections or congenital abnormalities, but there is still a significant number which cannot be explained.

Sadly, the UK and Pakistan will address this problem quite differently – perhaps somewhat predictably.

In the UK, major investment in research will often follow to investigate the causes of such high mortality rates. This follows its natural progression to policy research and investment in healthcare. Although seasoned critics, politicians and scientific bodies will argue the methodology and implementation, a conclusion and decision will eventually be reached.

Sadly, this course of events will not take place in Pakistan. Any attempt to understand and address this latest health dilemma will not result in political capital for the governing party in Islamabad and thus absolves any form of accountability.

I was able to witness the frustrations of introducing some form of gynecological and obstetric service in a rural village in Pakistan devastated by the floods, last year whilst I was working for an international NGO.

We advertised for an obstetrician and gynecologist with a competitive salary and benefits. The reason for this move stemmed from our concern that an untrained female dai (midwife) was delivering babies without any clinical knowledge. There was no question of her dedication but as a group of health professionals, it would have been clinical negligence to avoid this fissure in our services. After much deliberation, we managed to hire an obstetrician but soon she resigned.

This event was a snapshot of a national crisis in medical care for women. One can appreciate the argument of Pakistan’s economic woes as one of the reasons for lack of investment in health, but we should take note of the success of Cuba; it is a country which has suffered decades of various sanctions, but still continues to deliver healthcare comparable to many developed nations.

This is not a debate about political ideologies but of priorities, investment and accountability. Otherwise we can maintain the status quo and await the next set of incriminating revelations for Pakistan.

Doctors’ strike: 22 patients die across Punjab

Doctors across Punjab continued their strike Sunday, while unattended patients continued to suffer at hospitals across the province. A total of 22 patients have died across Punjab due to the strike. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

Three more patients died in the Nishtar Hospital bringing the death toll in Multan alone to 17, while a patient died in Faisalabad in the morning after being denied medical care.

More than 700 protesting doctors have resigned so far, as the Punjab government has refused to give in to their demands. The provincial government has also announced it will recruit new doctors at public hospitals to fill the vacancies. However, only 350 doctors have applied for the post, who will be interviewed today (Sunday).

Sources say that senior doctors have also gone on strike to support the young doctors. Only two doctors are on duty at the Allied Hospital Faisalabad.
The General Body of the Young Doctors Association has refused to call off their strike until their demands are met.
Blood is on Shahbaz Sharif’s hands says Riaz Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz said on Saturday that he would seek to lodge murder cases against Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif because he was responsible for the deaths that occurred during the ongoing doctors’ strike.
Riaz told The Express Tribune that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) workers would collect data from each hospital about deaths during the strike. They would also reach out to families who had lost loved ones and put them in touch with party legislators to help them seek legal remedy. He said that he would visit police stations personally and seek to get cases registered against the chief minister. If the police refused, he would move the Lahore High Court, he said.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah brushed off the threat, saying that he hoped that the opposition leader would not object if cases were registered against the federal government over deaths in federal government hospitals in the Punjab.

Blame it on Sharif
Riaz said that the escalation of the standoff between the provincial government and the Young Doctors Association was all down to Sharif. At 4pm on March 31, he said, the YDA Punjab and Senior Advisor Sardar Zulifqar Khosa had reached a deal to end the strike.
The two sides signed a agreement, Riaz said, adding that he had seen a copy of it provided to him by the YDA. He said it was agreed that the chief minister would announce the deal at 9pm that same day. Meanwhile, he said, the YDA announced that the strike was over.
But before 9pm, Riaz claimed, the chief minister was “deliberately misled” by Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad about the contents of the agreement. “Sharif always relies on the briefings of the bureaucracy. He thinks they are the only ones who can solve the problems of the province,” he said.
He said that a YDA Punjab delegation went to the chief minister’s officer at 90, The Mall, to meet Sharif. But when they got there, they were told the meeting had been cancelled. The YDA Punjab called Khosa, but he did not answer his mobile phone, Riaz said. Later that night, the YDA Punjab announced the resumption of their strike.
“The chief minister is very arrogant; he thinks he’s a Mughal emperor. He snubbed the YDA Punjab and because of his stubbornness, dozens of patients have died,” Riaz said. “It’s in his psyche to solve every problem through brutal police torture.”
He added that he would ask the Punjab Assembly speaker to summon the chief minister to attend a special session of the assembly on the issue.
Law Minister Sanaullah said that Riaz’s statement had “exposed those behind the doctors’ strikes” and that his party would suffer for bringing doctors into politics. He said that Riaz should not talk about the doctors, but answer questions instead about the “petrol bomb” the federal government had set off.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 03rd, 2011.

Karachi Has More Than 100,000 Prostitutes

A prostitute born and brought up in Karachi’s Napier Road red-light district, Shumaila never heard about HIV and AIDS until recently. Today, she carries condoms but clients refuse to wear them.

‘None of us were aware about the danger of AIDS looming over us for years but now we all know and can avoid it,’ said the tall 29-year-old who lives in a Victorian-style building in the heart of the neighbourhood.

Shumaila is one of the rare ones who are aware about the perils of HIV/AIDS an thus insist upon using condoms. Hundreds of thousands of condoms have been distributed to sex workers in the last two years, which have saved them from being infected with the lethal virus.

Karachi has up to 100,000 female sex workers, according to data gathered by Pakistan Society, a local welfare organisation. ‘This is 20 percent of their overall population in Pakistan.

Lahore comes next with 75,000 sex workers,’ Saleem Azam, head of the charity.

Prostitution may be illegal but it has prospered in Pakistan, where an economic downturn and widening poverty have forced women and men onto the streets to meet the rising cost of living.

Shaheena, 38, is a home-based sex worker. She is a skilled paramedic but seldom finds a permanent job. ‘So I opted to enter this business on the side,’ she said, veiling her face to hide her identity. ‘I have sibblings, cousins, nephews and nieces who don’t know about my second profession. So I don’t want to identify myself to embarass them. ‘But it’s a question of survival as none of my relatives support me with money. They are all too stretched themselves,’ she said.

More than 60 percent of Pakistan’s prostitutes work from homes or ply the streets, while the elite serve wealthy clients from kothikhanas (houses or rooms) in plush neighbourhoods.

A report said 60 percent of female sex workers and 45 percent of their male clients in Karachi and Lahore do not know that condoms can prevent transmission of HIV. Of those that do, few protect themselves. ‘The number of our clients who agree to wear a condom is small. Female condoms are not available, which can save us more effectively,’ said Nasreen, another prostitute in Napier Road. ‘I can’t carry condoms in my purse on the street as we’re vulnerable to the police and could be arrested if they find them,’ said Afshan, 29, who walks the city’s busy streets looking for clients.

The 2006 survey said only 18 percent of sex workers reported always using condoms. Around 96,000 people, or 0.1 percent of the population, live with HIV in Pakistan. The government says only 5,000 people are infected. The disease is spreading among high-risk groups, especially drug users, who mostly inject and use dirty needles, raising fears the virus could spread quickly from addicts to prostitutes. In 2006, Pakistan said HIV/AIDS prevalence among female sex workers was around 0.02 percent, but independent bodies put it much higher. ‘It is at least 15 per cent, ‘said Azam. ‘They are totally at the mercy of their clients. Most of their clients refuse to wear condoms,’ he said.

‘In Pakistan, this business is illegal, thus there is no law to seriously tackle the issue and save precious lives. Yet a way-out is desperately needed on humanitarian grounds.’ Baig said he had identified an HIV-positive sex worker a few months ago and tried to help her with treatment and a new job but she left because her colleagues considered her a blot on their business. ‘Now, no one knows where she is and what she is doing,’ he said.

Veena Malik Awam ki Adalat main – Front line with kamran shahid 21st jan 2011

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Guinness book of world records: 19 girls and 1 car on top of the world

On Wednesday, Aymen and 18 other girls, from different A’ Level institutions across the city, including KGS and Southshore School, managed to break a previous record by fitting into the vehicle with its doors closed for five seconds. The current official record holders are the Climb FitTeam of Australia who compressed 18 students into a standard SmartCar at the Warringah Mall, Sydney Australia on January 25, 2010.

The girls managed to meet the challenge at the BBQ lawn of Creek Club in front of a jury at a historic event organised by Karim Mohammadi and Rehan Elahi. The chief guests included the federal adviser on textiles Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, adviser Sharmila Farooqi, Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro and former cricketers Wasim Akram and Saleem Yousuf. The girls had been through the drill numerous times. They positioned themselves and with precision crammed one by one into the two-door car in layers. Within a minute they were all inside the car and not only did they manage to break the world record, they managed to stay in the car for a gruelling 10 seconds, double the current record time.

“I want parents around the country to encourage their children to achieve greater things and believe that when you try, you achieve,” said Aymen. Other participants Tanya Pabani, Fatima Ismail and Zahshanné Malik were thrilled about their feat but more interested in meeting Wasim Akram.

Baig said he had initially been sceptical but was won over after he saw them fit in the car in three layers with one literally on the floor mat. Aymen’s parents Yousuf and Shireen told The Express Tribune that even though at first they felt it was just another outdoor activity, they provided them with a coach Hassan Aslam once they realised how determined they were.

The participants included Sarah Ahmad, Hafsa Naveed, Alina Akram (the extra in case someone got injured), Zashanne Malik, Fatima Ismail, Rabbya Kamran, Anam Afridi, Muneezeh Jamal, Hala Faruqi, Dania Fayyaz, Sana Ghazi, Sana Currimbhoy, Zoya Currimbhoy, Hiba Javad, Sana Javad, Nadia Khan, Neha Salauddin, Rida Ashraf, Eman Samir, Tanya Pabani and Aymen Saleem. The team coaches were Hassan Aslam, Sharam Saleem and Shereen Saleem.

Angelina recommends Gilani to Hollywood

Hollywood celebrity and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Refugees Angelina Jolie was so overwhelmed by the looks of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani that she strongly recommended him for Hollywood screen but in the same breath said that Gilani, as the leader of his nation, was doing an even better job.

This she narrated while giving her impressions about her visit to Pakistan’s flood-hit areas last week and her meetings with the leaders in Pakistan and the US President’s special envoy for the region Richard Holbrooke after returning home. She undertook the journey to Pakistan on Holbrooke’s suggestion to visit the flood-affected areas. The US president’s envoy narrated the story to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani the other day when he called on the prime minister here at the PM’s House. “But Richard, I offered her a copy of the holy Quran with English version to make her better understand Islam and provide the same to her adopted Muslim child,” the prime minister replied.
Prime Minister Gilani, while confirming his conversation with the US president’s special representative for Pakistan/Afghanistan to this correspondent, said the actress must be kidding. “If the screen is so charming, why has she stepped out of it and started serving humanity. I am serving my nation and I am happy with it,” he said on Saturday morning.

Ms Angelina, 35, has been cited as one of the world’s most attractive people, as well as one of the world’s “most beautiful” woman, titles for which she has received substantial media attention.

Ms Angelina told Richard Holbrooke that she had heard about the so-called credibility deficit in Pakistan but she was of the firm opinion that the people who had affection for calamity-struck humanity would never pay any heed to such assertions, as they are always forthcoming on such occasions. The people who are reluctant to come forward use such pretexts for staying away, she remarked while discarding the credibility factor.

Richard Holbrooke told the prime minister that his daughter would shortly be visiting Pakistan to work for the flood victims and share their miseries as she was currently engaged in the relief efforts in quake-devastated African state Haiti. He said that floods had inflicted unbelievable damage on the people of Pakistan but the people of this country were determined to live up to the challenge. “I am sure that the signs of the disaster soon will be behind them,” he added.

Dr Roy’s Thoughts about Pakistan

I am not a fan of Pakistan. The central Pakistan government doesn’t even pretend to control its outlying provinces, but I am not sure if this is a good idea. It would probably just cause more instability along the Indian border. Though putting the whole country under trusteeship would probaby be a good idea, it’s not going to happen. The real probablem is who controls the nukes and the treachery of the isis.

This artificial nation has already lost Bangladesh. Now floods give good reason to dismember the rest Pakistan “is confronted with an existential threat from fanatics, zealots and extremists on the one hand and from the material devastation caused by the history’s worst floods on the other,” Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari stated earlier this week. “The existence of Pakistan” is now at stake, echoed Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

The end of Pakistan — its dismemberment into its constituent parts — could be all for the good. Pakistan — a creation of colonial Britain that’s barely a half-century old — is less a country than an acronym whose passing would soon be forgotten. There is no Pakistani nation.

The P in Pakistan stands for Punjab, its most industrialized region whose Indus River people have an ancient civilization. The A stands for Afghania, a backward rural region (since renamed) that could not be more different than the Punjab. The K stands for Kashmir, an agriculturally rich, conflict-riven area cleaved and claimed by India and China as well as Pakistan. S stands for Sindh, another Indus River nation whose history is also as old as civilization itself, and which rivals the Punjab in literacy and economic development. Pakistan’s last three letters — TAN — represent Balochistan, its largest but least populous and poorest province, despite its mineral riches.

Salman Khan invites flak over ‘Mumbai terror attack” remark

Mumbai, Sep.12 (ANI): As ‘Dabbang’ makes an impressive beginning at the box  office, its main hero, Salman Khan, has courted an unwanted controversy again  by  speaking insensitively about the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that  had left over 166 people dead and over 300 others injured.

He has invited criticism for allegedly stating during an interview to a Pakistani  channel that the 26/11 attacks were hyped up because “elite people” were targeted.

“It was the elite that was targeted this time. Five-star hotels and all. So, they panicked. Then, they got up and spoke about it. My question is why not before. Attacks have happened in trains and small towns too, but no one talked about it so much,” Salman reportedly told Pakistan’s Express 24/7 channel in an interview.

Salman’s reported comments have been described as “anti-national” by parties like the Shiv Sena, and even drawn strong words from Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Chagan Bhujbal. It doesn’t matter whether a big or small person has died. It’s very serious matter for the country when somebody loses his life in a militant attack. We need to work together to root out terrorism, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.

Bhujbal, however, called the statement “uninformed”, as he remarked: “He is an actor. He does not have the information to make a comment on whether the Pakistani govt was involved or not. People travelling in taxis, constables, waiters, hotel workers, all lost their lives in the attacks.”

The Shiv Sena demanded an apology from Salman Khan for the statement.

“The 26/11 attacks were a war against the nation. Salman should apologise for his remarks. Ambani was not staying at the CST, nor was Tata or Birla staying in Cama Lane,” Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said referring to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Cama Lane, which were among the places primarily targetted by the terrorists.

The Bharatiya Janata Party also criticised Khan for his unwanted comments.

“26/11 attack was an attack on India. We cannot forget that Indian citizens were killed. This was not a small issue for Salman Khan to comment. This was an attack meticulously planned by Pakistan,” said Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP spokesperson.

Special Prosecutor in 26/11 trial, Ujwal Nikam, described Khan’s statement as naive.

“It appears that without knowing the details of the terror attack, the actor made such statements,” said Nikam, adding, “I shall say these are childish remarks.”

“They (terrorists) don’t make any distinction between rich and poor. It is judicially established that the outcome was a deep routed criminal conspiracy hatched in Pakistan and the targets were deliberately selected to wage war against India,” he added.

Eight of the attacks occurred in south Mumbai at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, the Orthodox Jewish-owned Nariman House, the Metro Cinema and a lane behind the Times of India building an St. Xavier’s College.

Musharraf Plans Return to Pakistan Politics

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he is planning to return home and return to politics.

In an interview with the BBC broadcast on Friday, Mr. Musharraf, who now lives in London, said he is willing to risk his life in order to restore a sense of hope to his people.  He criticized the current Pakistani government, accusing it of putting the country on “an artificial, make-believe democratic path” that has resulted in “darkness all over.”

Mr. Musharraf said he will return to Pakistan and create a new political party before the next elections in 2013.  He also defended his record as president and promised to answer any allegations against him.

The former army general stepped down in 2008 after political parties moved to impeach him for violating the constitution.

The ruling coalition accused Mr. Musharraf of imposing emergency rule in Pakistan so that he could fire senior judges.  They said the move was part of an effort to circumvent legal challenges to his plans to run for a second term in office.

Mr. Musharraf denied any wrong doing at the time, and further defended his record as president during the interview with the BBC.

He seized power in 1999, when he served as the chief of the country’s army.  Later, he became a key U.S. ally following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.