Ex-President Musharraf to form party

Deposed Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has applied to form his own political party, the All-Pakistan Muslim League. A legal adviser to Musharraf says that the former military ruler intends to return from exile to relaunch his political career and fight a criminal case lodged against him.

Reuters

Election commission officials confirm that Musharraf's supporters have applied to register the party.

Earlier, his legal adviser Mohammad Ali Saif told the AFP news agency that he had lodged a formal application, and that he is already setting up a "party structure" in Punjab province.

There are two other applications to form parties using the same name, according to commission official Sabir Hussain Gilani. The decision as to who can use it will be made next month, he said.

When in power, Musharraf relied on the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, which had split from Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N.

Musharraf has  been abroad since losing elections two years ago.

Police registered a case against him in August relating to the detention of judges in 2007. Facing a possible Supreme Court ban on him standing for re-election while in uniform, Musharraf declared a state of emergency and sacked about 60 judges.

Saif said that when he visited Musharraf in London the former president said that he intended to return to Pakistan to fight the case.

He is also wanted for questioning over the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, whose widower, Asif Ali Zardari, is now President at the head of the Pakistan People's Party.