Musharraf to land in Karachi between Jan 27, 30

KARACHI: Former President and chairman of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) Pervez Musharraf on Sunday announced to return to Pakistan between January 27 and 30.

"I will be back to Pakistan between January 27 and 30," the former president said while addressing a public gathering near Mazar-e-Quaid through video conferencing from Dubai.

He said his first stop to Pakistan would be Karachi.

"I will come to Pakistan," he said, adding attempts were being made to scare him off but he was not the kind who could be terrified.

He said he was making the decision to return to Pakistan in view of the enthusiasm and passion of the people who have come from every part of the country to participate in Sunday's rally in Karachi.

"I will take the risk and put my life at stake for the people of Pakistan."

He said he was coming for Pakistan and for the people of Pakistan, asserting he wanted to put the country back on path that leads to progress and development.

Musharraf said he would rebuild the economy of Pakistan and make people prosperous.

Pervez Musharraf said he had support from all ethnic groups of Pakistan and he was in favour of a separate Hazara province.

“This is not a tsunami but an earthquake” is how the former president described the APML rally in Karachi.

Musharraf further said in his innings he had scored a century adding that he should not be compared to those who scored a duck or those who were yet to play an innings.

“I ran Pakistan successfully for ten years, and steered it towards prosperity.”

He said the first thing he did after coming to power in the area of development was he issued order in 1999 for the renovation of Mazar-e-Quaid.

Listing achievements of his past rule, he said all utility services were available at cheap rates; trains used to leave on time, begging bowl had been broken, Pakistan was pulled out of the clutches of IMF, foreign investment was coming to the country, Pakistanis were coming back to the country and people felt proud calling themselves Pakistanis.

"Pakistan made progress in every sector," he claimed.

He also mentioned projects of Lyari Express Way and Northern Bypass initiated during his rule in Karachi and praised Muttahida Qaumi Movement's Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad and Mustafa Kamal.