In an embarrassment to Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani dictator, in a leaked video, was purportedly seen seeking covert US support to regain power and telling American lawmakers that he was “ashamed” of the ISI being negligent about the al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden’s whereabouts.
The undated video clips, which have been posted by dissident Pakistani columnist Gul Bukhari, also shows the self-exiled former president as saying that he thinks that the negligence of the ISI was “pardonable” as the CIA was also involved in same level of negligence on 9/11.
General (retd) Musharraf, 75, was Pakistan’s president between 2001 and 2008, before resigning to avoid impeachment.
The former army chief has been living in Dubai since March 2016 after he left for medical treatment and has not returned since, citing security and health reasons. He is facing the treason case for suspending the Constitution in 2007, a punishable offence for which he was indicted in 2014.
“All I am saying is, I have certain credentials from the past. I need to come (to power) again and I need to be supported. Not overtly, but in a covert manner. So that we win again,” Musharraf is seen as telling US lawmakers in one of the leaked video of the meeting.
When posed with tough questions, he rued that US lawmakers “are too involved in minor tactics”.
He also claimed that Pakistan used the money, given by the US for the fight against terrorist, to bring down the poverty from 34 per cent to 17 per cent.
To which, those present in the meeting, were quick to point out that none of the US Congress members voted for USD 20 billion aid to Pakistan in the last 10 years because of poverty.