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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Does N.M. Enchant Pakistani Ex-Prez?

By Michael Coleman
Journal Washington Bureau
       WASHINGTON — Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf — who resigned Monday under intense political pressure — could seek asylum in the United States and is considering making his home in New Mexico, according to a respected Pakistani journalist and scholar.
    Shuja Nawaz , author of a new book on the Pakistani military, told the Journal on Wednesday that Musharraf's safety is in jeopardy in Pakistan and he is contemplating his next move.
    Nawaz said he learned of Musharraf's interest in the Land of Enchantment "from a well connected person in Pakistan," but Nawaz stressed that the information is "unconfirmed."
    "Musharraf's first port of call will likely be Dubai," Nawaz said in an e-mail to the Journal. "But he needs a safer place to stay. The U.S. fits the bill."
    Musharraf's possible interest in New Mexico was first reported by Nawaz on The News Hour on PBS on Monday night. Nawaz's book, "Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army and the Wars Within," was published by the Oxford Press in May.
    The State Department did not return a phone call Wednesday.
    State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. government hasn't received any asylum request from Musharraf, but would consider it.
    "If he chooses to take up residence somewhere, I mean if he were to request that, we would obviously look at it, but it's not an issue that we've been approached with," Wood said.
    Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday had expressed gratitude to Musharraf for his help in combating terrorists after Sept. 11.
    A spokesman for Gov. Bill Richardson said the governor, a former U.N. ambassador and occasional global diplomatic troubleshooter, first heard about Musharraf's rumored relocation plans when reporters called his office this week.
    Richardson declined to comment Wednesday, said Gilbert Gallegos, the governor's spokesman.
    Musharraf, a former Pakistani army chief, resigned as president on Monday instead of facing impeachment by the country's new government.
    Some human rights groups have assailed the mysterious disappearance of terror suspects under Musharraf's administration. Pakistan's Islamic fundamentalists despise him for aligning with the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks.