MUSHARRAF OUT OF RACE, CAN’T FIGHT ELECTIONS

ISLAMABAD: Pervez Musharraf was on Tuesday disqualified from contesting Pakistani elections next month, crushing his ambition to “save” the troubled nuclear-armed country just weeks after his return from exile.

Pakistan goes to the polls on May 11 for an election that will mark the first time a civilian government has handed over power at the ballot box after completing a full term in office in a country used to extended periods of military rule.

Officials disqualified Musharraf just one day after he unveiled his All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) party manifesto at a press conference overshadowed by questions about legal cases dating back to his nine years in power.

The Taliban had threatened to assassinate him on the eve of his return to Pakistan on March 24.