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Former President Returns to Pakistan Former President Returns to Pakistan
(about 1 hour later)
KARACHI, Pakistan — The former president Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan ended more than four years in self-exile on Sunday with a flight to Pakistan seeking a possible political comeback in defiance of judicial investigations and death threats from Taliban militants. ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s onetime military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, ended four years of self-imposed exile on Sunday and returned to Pakistan, aiming to carve out a political future, but he received an unremarkable welcome as he landed at the airport in Karachi.
Security forces whisked Musharraf away in a convoy of about a dozen vehicles shortly after he touched down in the southern port city of Karachi and did not allow him to greet hundreds of supporters waiting at the airport, ready to shower him with rose petals. General Musharraf, who resigned as president in August 2008 under threat of impeachment and left the county in April 2009, arrived early Sunday afternoon on a flight from Dubai. A small crowd had gathered at the airport and shouted slogans in his support.
The move angered other supporters traveling with the former president, and raised concerns he may have been detained because of legal charges against him. Mr. Musharraf appeared upbeat as he arrived in the southern city of Karachi.
The journey from exile in Dubai is intended as the first step in his goal of rebuilding his image after years on the political margins. Since the former general was forced from power, Pakistan’s civilian leadership has struggled with a sinking economy, resilient Islamic extremist factions and tensions with Washington over drone strikes and the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. “I respect your emotions,” he said, waving to the crowd. “Thank you. Thank you,” he said as his supporters shouted “Long live Musharraf!”
Mr. Musharraf represents a polarizing force that could further complicate Pakistan’s attempt to hold parliamentary elections in May and stage its first transition from one civilian government to another. “I have returned. People used to think that I would not return but I have come back,” Mr. Musharraf said. “I am not scared of anyone but God.”
He is viewed as an enemy by many Islamic militants and others for his decision to side with America in the response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. On Saturday, the Pakistani Taliban vowed to mobilize death squads if Mr. Musharraf returned. “I have put my life in danger, but I want to save Pakistan,” he added.
His supporters, including elements of the military and members of Pakistan’s influential expatriate communities, consider him a strong leader whose voice — even just in parliament — could help stabilize the country. Mr. Musharraf faces a myriad challenges, both political and personal.
Mr. Musharraf also faces legal charges, including some originating from the investigation of the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who also spent time in self-imposed exile in Dubai before returning. The Taliban militants have threatened to kill him upon his return. But in his characteristic bravado, Mr. Musharraf has brushed aside the concerns for his life. He has survived several assassination attempts by the Taliban and Al Qaeda. During his tenure, Mr. Musharraf battled with Islamist extremists who have continued to gain strength and challenge the state, especially in the country’s restive northwestern regions. A litany of court cases await Mr. Musharraf and before returning, he managed to arrange pre-arrest bail in three cases in which he faces criminal charges: he deaths of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and a Baluch leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti. He has denied the charges.
The flight from Dubai came after several failed promises to return in recent years. Mr. Musharraf announced in early March that he would lead his party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, in May elections. News of Mr. Musharraf’s return was nearly overshadowed by the announcement of a caretaker prime minister on Sunday — a decision keenly awaited by political analysts. Pakistan’s chief election commissioner announced that Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, a retired justice, would serve as the caretaker prime minister and lead the government until May 11, when general elections are scheduled.
Mr. Musharraf met briefly with reporters in Dubai before heading to the airport wearing a white shalwar kameez — the traditional loosefitting outfit in Pakistan — and sandals from the country’s Peshawar region near the Afghan border. He mingled with supporters aboard the plane on the way to Karachi, as some of them chanted slogans for his party. Mr. Khoso, 84, has served as a chief justice of Baluchistan province and his appointment was widely welcomed by political circles.
He took power in a 1999 coup and was forced to step down in 2008 amid growing discontent over his rule and the threat of impeachment by the country’s two most powerful political parties. He has since lived in Dubai and London. “My first priority is to hold fair, free and transparent elections,” Mr. Khoso said, speaking with reporters in Islamabad.
His decision to return was given a boost last week when a Pakistan court granted him pre-emptive bail — essentially preventing his immediate arrest — in three cases in which he’s implicated, including Bhutto’s death. He now has 10 days to appear in court. He has dismissed the various charges as baseless. Mr. Musharraf hopes that his political party, All Pakistan Muslim League, will be able to offer a third choice to voters, many of whom are disillusioned by the Pakistan Peoples Party, led by President Asif Ali Zardari, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which is led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
His return comes as Pakistan seeks for the first time to hand power from one elected government to another. In addition, Imran Khan, a cricket star turned politician, is already gaining some traction as an alternative to the main parties, analysts say.
Mr. Khan held a rally in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday night, cheered on by a boisterous crowd of hundreds of thousands of young men and women, who form his support base.
Political analysts said dismissed any chance that Mr. Musharraf could succeed in reviving his political fortunes.
“Musharraf will not be able to make any significant political impact,” said Farooq Hameed Khan, a retired brigadier and columnist for The News, an English daily.
The rule of General Musharraf, who took power after a bloodless coup in 1999, began to unravel in 2007, when he tried to dismiss Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the country’s crusading chief justice. A subsequent opposition movement led by the country’s lawyers, and supported by opposition politicians, weakened Mr. Musharraf’s grip on power and a political party, Pakistan Muslim League-Q, which was his political support, lost badly in 2008 elections.
Mr. Musharraf hopes to move beyond his past.
“Where is the Pakistan that I had left years ago?”Mr. Musharraf said in his brief address to supporters at Karachi airport. “My heart cries when I see the state of the country.”
He said he planned to take a countrywide tour to meet his supporters.
His party officials  had announced a plan for a rally later in the evening in Karachi. But the provincial government ruled it out, citing security threats.
Mr. Musharraf intends to move to Islamabad, the capital, where he maintains a lavish farmhouse, next week, his aides said.