Pakistan’s former dictator Musharraf to launch career as TV analyst?

Pakistan’s former dictator General Pervez Musharraf, currently living in self-exile in Dubai, seems to have chosen mainstream media as his career of choice after failing to make a dent in politics, according to a media report.

The 73-year-old retired general and former president seems to have chosen mainstream media as his career of choice with Bol TV billing him as the main attraction of a weekly TV programme, Dawn newspaper reported.

According to the promotional video aired by Bol TV, the weekly show is called ‘Sab Se Pehle Pakistan with President Musharraf’ and will be aired every Sunday at 8 pm, it said.

The first episode, which was aired on Sunday, saw Musharraf responding to an anchor’s questions from Dubai, where he is currently living in self-exile.

The Nawaz Sharif government had in March 2016 allowed Musharraf to travel abroad to seek “medical attention” after the Supreme Court lifted a ban on his travel abroad. This had stirred a controversy as Musharraf had been facing a treason case for abrogating the Constitution and imposing an emergency in 2007.

An anti-terrorism court had on December 8, 2016 given a month’s deadline to Musharraf to surrender in the judges’ detention case. The court had warned that Musharraf would be declared a ‘proclaimed offender’ if he failed to comply with the deadline.

Musharraf, who went into self-imposed exile in Dubai after being forced to resign as president facing impeachment following the 2008 elections, had returned to Pakistan in 2013 to contest elections but was implicated in several cases. He also lost in the polls.

Meanwhile, Bol TV, which is hosting Musharraf, was recently mired in a tussle with Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) over ‘hate speech’ aired from its platform.

Last month, Pemra had issued a show-cause notice to Labbaik Pvt Ltd (Bol News channel) for defying an order to discontinue the Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga programme, and to keep its host, Amir Liaquat, off the air.

The electronic media regulator had taken exception to the programme over its “controversial and hate-based contents” and barred Liaquat from appearing on any TV screen.