Musharraf says has abandoned APML chairmanship, not politics

KARACHI: Former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf says he has abandoned the chairmanship of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) but not politics.

In a video message, the former head of state said he stepped down from the party office after legal consultation and added Dr Amjad has been named chairman while Mehreen Malik Adam secretary general of the party.

He said he had plans to return to the country to take part in coming general elections, but there were hurdles in the realisation of such plans.

Listing out reasons behind his decision not to return home, Musharraf demanded that his disqualification verdict should be suspended as was done in the case of PML-N leader Khawaja Asif.

He said he should be allowed to run for the polls and address public gatherings. Like former premier Nawaz Sharif, his name should not also be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), he added.

He said he had also demanded that he should not be arrested upon arrival in Pakistan.

A day earlier, Gen Musharraf resigned as chief of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), a political party he formed in 2010.