Musharraf to launch political party

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has convened a meeting of his loyalists in Dubai on April 2 to formally launch a political party, which is likely to be named the All Pakistan Muslim League.

An associate of the former military ruler told the media that Musharraf would stay in Dubai for about 10 days, during which he may meet his friends in the Pakistan Muslim League-Quam and a dissident faction of the party.

Those who have been invited to Dubai for the meeting include close aides of Musharraf like former interior minister Faisal Saleh Hayat, former information minister Muhammad Ali Durrani and some members of the dissident faction of the PML-Q.

The meeting is being organised lawyer Mohammad Ali Saif, one of the trusted aides of Musharraf.

Saif has sent invitations for the meeting. Saif has reportedly applied to the Election Commission for the registration of the All Pakistan Muslim League and the application is likely to be heard next month.

The application names some of the office-bearers of the proposed party, including Saif as its chairman, Sher Alam Khattak as president, Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor as senior vice president and Rai Mulazam Hussain as secretary general.

Reports said Musharraf would assume a position in the party after it is formally launched.

Musharraf has lived outside Pakistan since mid-April last year. He left Pakistan after a slew of cases were filed against him in courts across the country.

His close aides have hinted that Musharraf could make a formal return to politics in November, after the end of a two-year bar on him being involved in active politics.

The former president stepped down as army chief in November 2008 and existing rules bar him from active politics for two years.