Musharraf back in Pakistan

Remember Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's former President? He returned to Pakistan after nearly four years of self-imposed exile despite the possibility of arrest and a threat from the Taliban to kill him. He wants to try to regain influence and run in a general election scheduled for May 11.

The former army general seized power in a 1999 coup, resigned in 2008 when his allies lost a vote and a new government threatened him with impeachment. He left the country a year later. Musharraf faces charges of failing to provide adequate security to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto before her assassination in 2007. He also faces charges in connection with the death of a Baluch separatist leader.

Musharraf was granted bail on those charges in advance of his return to avoid being arrested when he arrived but he could still be detained later.

It remains unclear whether Musharraf will manage to regain influence in Pakistan, where strong contenders for the election include Nawaz Sharif (the man he ousted in a military coup) and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.

Pakistan's Taliban said in a video that they would dispatch suicide bombers and snipers to kill the former president and send him to "hell". Musharraf dismissed the threats.
Musharraf angered the Taliban and other groups by joining the U.S. war on terror following the September 11 attacks and by later launching a major crackdown on militants in Pakistan.

My only question is why? Why, when he has a nice life in exile, with plenty of money, would he want to go back to Pakistan and then want to be President again?

Let’s see, live a luxurious life in Europe or dodge suicide bombers in Pakistan…. Doesn’t seem like a hard choice to me -- but what do I know…

Budget cutbacks

Live Long and Prosper....