Musharraf to appear in new role as television personality
Islamabad/Dubai, Feb. 27: 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 Mr 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 Mr 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 Mr 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 Mr Musharraf to surrender in the judges’ detention case.
The court had warned that Mr Musharraf would be declared a ‘proclaimed offender’ if he failed to comply with the deadline.
Mr 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 Mr Musharraf, was recently mired in a tussle with Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority 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 hatebased contents” and barred Mr Liaquat from appearing on any TV screen.
Bol TV is billing retired general and former President Pervez Musharraf as the main attraction of a weekly TV programme
Musharraf appeared on the first episode of the show, Sab Se Pehle Pakistan with President Musharraf, on Sunday