Pir Pagara meets Musharraf

KARACHI: Pir Pagara Syed Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi on Friday evening called on former president retired general Pervez Musharraf at the latter’s residence in Defence and inquired after his health and well-being. Pir Pagara, who is president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, was accompanied by a leader of his party Kamran Tessori. In a statement issued to the media after the meeting, Pir Pagara said on the death of his sister, Gen Musharraf had arrived at his residence in London for condolence and now he felt it his duty to go and inquire after his health. Referring to an attempt on the life of journalist Hamid Mir, he said it was the responsibility of the Sindh government to expose the attackers. Pir Pagara also reacted to the accusations being hurled against the armed forces and said the Hur Jamaat fully sided with Pakistan Army. He said the armed forces would always find the Hur Jamaat defending the geographical and ideological borders of Pakistan along with them. Referring to the general elections in India, where a fierce campaign was going on against Pakistan Army, ISI and Muslims, he asked the people to desist from hurling such allegations as the nation would not tolerate it. Meanwhile, former president and chief of All-Pakistan Muslim League Pervez Musharraf has said he is facing all cases instituted against him and he is not worried about anything because whatever he had done was for the country. The retired general was making a telephonic address to the participants in a rally taken out by workers of his party from Do Talwar roundabout to Zamzama street on Friday. He said the country was passing through a critical phase of its history. It faced different challenges which could only be overcome through unity, he said. He said that he was facing all cases without fear about anything because whatever he had done was for country’s progress. He asked party supporters and workers not to worry about him as he was being looked after well. He said he did not have any expectation from anyone except help from Allah to emerge victorious from the cases and thanked the participants for taking out the rally and having come to listen to his speech. Earlier, APML provincial leader Muslim Bhutto regretted in his brief speech that Pervez Musharraf was not being allowed to visit his ailing mother and demanded removal of his name from the ECL and permission to him to go abroad to see his mother.