Musharraf wants elections under army supervision

Former Pakistani president and military chief Pervez Musharraf,  who heads the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) has continued with his refrain, first voiced on Monday, for the general elections due in May to be supervised by the country's army.

During a brief press conference at his heavily guarded Chak Shahzad farmhouse soon after his arrival from Karachi, he said he had always believed the supervision of the army was necessary to ensure fair and transparent polls.

Musharraf, whose bail was recently extended by a court in Sindh, said despite having faced serious threats he was pleased with the security arrangements made for him by the country's caretaker government.

''I have always stated that the polls should be held under the supervision of army. Otherwise there will be law and order problem. And then the polls will not be fair and transparent,'' the former president said in a brief chat with reporters.

The country would go to polls on 11 May, which would be the first instance in Pakistan's history of a democratically elected government handing over power to another democratically elected government. The APML chief, who had gone into a  self-imposed exile in London over four years ago, has plans to contest the national elections from the capital.

The former president denied once again that there had been any deal over is return to Pakistan and said that he had formed his party and had come back to the country on his own. Stating that he had already been granted bail, he said he was ready to appear before any court to defend himself against charges leveled against him.

Musharraf looked tired after a long journey from Karachi to Islamabad which he had to take after diversion of his aircraft to Lahore, due to a sudden change in weather conditions and heavy evening rains in Islamabad.

Though he was scheduled to reach the capital at 5pm, it was 9 pm when he landed at the Benazir Bhutto Airport. He left soon after without talking to the media or addressing the handful of his supporters who had gathered to receive him.