Musharraf plans a return to politics

Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said yesterday that he plans to return to politics and will launch a new party next month – two years after he stepped down as president after nationwide protests and left the country.

Speaking at an investor conference in Hong Kong, Mr Musharraf expressed confidence he could regain popularity and would return to Pakistan for the next national elections, scheduled for 2013. He said he will announce the establishment of the All Pakistan Muslim League in London on 1 October.

Mr Musharraf now spends most of his time in Britain. If he returns to Pakistan, he could face legal scrutiny over the bloodless coup in October 1999 that brought him to power and the subsequent nine years of military rule – particularly a state of emergency declared as protests against him mounted in late 2007. "My going back is dependent certainly on an environment to be created in Pakistan," Mr Musharraf said.