KARACHI: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf returned home on Sunday after more than four years in exile, defying a Taliban death threat and vowing to risk his life to “save” the country.
“I have come back home today. Where are those who used to say I would never come back?” the former dictator, who plans to stand in a historic May 11 general election, told supporters at Karachi airport. Shortly before Musharraf’s arrival, Pakistan selected a caretaker prime minister, retired judge Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, to guide the country through the elections. Musharraf’s power base has all but evaporated and he is not thought likely to win more than a couple of seats for his All Pakistan Muslim League, which he founded in self-imposed exile with the help of Pakistani expatriates.
“I am very nostalgic but very happy to be back after four years,” he told AFP on his Emirates flight from Dubai. Musharraf faces several court cases related to his time in office and he remains a highly controversial figure in a country struggling to shake off the legacy of extended periods of military rule.
