'Give foolproof security to Mush'

Pakistan’s security establishment has demanded foolproof security for ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who is facing a Taliban death threat following his return to the country from self-exile, a media report said.

The General Headquarters wrote a letter to the Defence Ministry seeking security for Musharraf, who flew into Karachi from Dubai on Sunday , The Express Tribune reported on Monday.

The Defence Ministry forwarded the request to the Interior Ministry, which will ensure proper security for the former President, the paper quoted a defence source as saying.

Musharraf, 69, who ended his nearly four-year-long self-exile, has been threatened by the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. In a video issued days before Musharraf’s return, the Taliban said they had formed a special squad of suicide bombers and snipers to target the former President. It featured former Air Force personnel Adnan Rashid, who participated in a previous attempt to assassinate Musharraf.

Rashid was sentenced to death by a military court but escaped from a prison in northwest Pakistan during a jailbreak engineered by the Taliban.

It was not immediately clear whether the army sought enhanced security for Musharraf on its own or at the request of the former dictator. Asia Ishaq, a spokesperson for Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League party, said the retired army chief was entitled to security from the military.

She claimed the Pakistan Army took the initiative on its own and not at Musharraf’s request. Ishaq expressed satisfaction at security measures put in place for Musharraf’s arrival in Karachi on Sunday.

Khoso caretaker PM

Meanwhile, Mir Hazar Khan Khoso was on Monday sworn in as Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister by President Asif Ali Zardari during a ceremony held at the presidency.

The brief ceremony was held a day after the 84-year-old former judge was chosen by the Election Commission as the caretaker Prime Minister to conduct the general election scheduled for May 11, after  the Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition and a bipartisan parliamentary committee failed to choose a caretaker premier after six days of talks.