Israel ready to provide security to Musharraf?


Friday, August 15, 2008

By Hamid Mir

ISLAMABAD: Israeli President Shimon Peres is desperately trying to help his friend President Pervez Musharraf and is putting indirect pressure on the coalition government through different diplomatic channels not to impeach him, Foreign Office sources reveal.

The sources claim that Peres wants a safe exit for Musharraf and he is also ready to provide security to his friend outside Pakistan. These sources also claim that Peres and Musharraf are in regular contact with each other for the last three years. Both met first in Davos in January 2005 and since then they have been writing letters to each other and exchanging pleasantries on telephone regularly.

According to the sources, Peres wrote his first-ever official letter to Musharraf in October 2007, appreciating his efforts in the fight against terrorism. Musharraf, in his response, thanked the Israeli president for his support and good wishes. These letters were exchanged through diplomatic channels of Turkey.

Peres called his Pakistani friend again a few days ago. Though the details of their conversation were not available with the Foreign Office yet it is believed that Peres offered his friend some help.

Informed sources are of the view that Israel has strong friendly relations with Turkey and is in a position to provide security to Musharraf in Turkey. One close friend of Musharraf is also busy in lobbying for him in the Jewish lobby in the US these days. This friend of Musharraf has met many leaders of the World Jewish Congress recently. Musharraf even praised this friend publicly in recognition of his services for facilitating him to address the Jewish lobby in New York. This special friend still enjoys ministerial status in Pakistan without being elected and despite the fact that he is an American citizen. It has been learnt that the same friend is requesting his American Jewish contacts to do something for the safe exit of Musharraf through Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Peres had openly said in October 2001 that he prayed for the life of Musharraf every morning as he (Musharraf) had signed his death warrant by changing the Afghan policy of Pakistan. After that, Musharraf also came into contact with the late Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. He also met Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in January this year in Paris.

Diplomatic sources claim that Musharraf is the most popular Pakistani leader in Israel. He was the first Pakistani leader who was invited to address the World Jewish Congress in the US in 2005. After that historic event, the then foreign minister of Pakistan Khurshid Kasuri met his Israeli counterpart Silvon Shalom in Turkey in 2005.

Musharraf had asked the Foreign Office in early 2007 to prepare a plan for the recognition of Israel but it did not materialise due to the political turmoil started in March 2007. It is also pertinent to mention here that Indian National Security Adviser MK Narayanan was the first foreign leader to come out openly in support of Musharraf on Wednesday, saying his impeachment would only help extremist elements in the country. The same Indian leader had declared on December 19, 2007 that India could trust Musharraf but not Benazir Bhutto.

Musharraf knows that he is still popular among the Indian and Israeli establishments and has a lot of friends in Western capitals as well. If provided a safe exit, he can find a new role for himself in international diplomacy.

Highly placed sources in the coalition government claim that Musharraf is now completely isolated and he has informed Asif Ali Zardari, through the governor Punjab, that he would resign if provided special indemnity. However, the coalition government is not ready to provide him indemnity and in that case he would face the first-ever humiliating impeachment process, which would definitely make history in Pakistan

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/4504

they should just hang this guy musharraf, on public display.

^ ameen!!

he has killed and ruined lifes of many a innocents, its time he got payback!

and i hope this news isnt true!

Believe it or not Musharraf was one of the best leader of Pakistan. Whoever comes next is going to be horrible and destory whatever is left of Pakistan.

Believe it or not majority of Pakistan disagree with you. Ask the thousands of innocents sold to US as "qaeda members", busharaf didn't become a billionaire doing nothing.

For Malaysians, Musharraf is the destroyer of Pakistan...

I guess we will know whether Musharaf was better than the alternative in about a years time.

Musharraf claimed he had no choice. American officals told him either work with them or they will send Pakistan into stone ages.

I agree Musharraf did do a lot of evil killed innocent people. But he is by far one of the good leaders Pakistan has seen. I am not Pakistani but I talked to quite a few Pakistanis who say Musharraf by far was one of the good leaders.

I disagree with Questfortruth Musharraf is one of the bad leaders of Pakistan
He destroyed the image of our Army among the people of Pakistan
He lied to whole nation

Is it... I think Zia Ul Haq was way better than Musharaf

Because he fought with talebans?

^^ no because and amongst many things he ordered the slaughter of Muslims as is customary to any turd who takes office!

I do not agree with the worlds stance agiasn't Taliban. Taliban was a good government that bought peace and Shariah to Afghanistan.