JNN 21.05.10 WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said Thursday he planned to return from exile and re-enter politics, and did not rule out a new bid for the presidency.

Musharraf, who has mostly lived in London since losing power following 2008 elections, visited Washington this week and met quietly with prominent Pakistanis at a ritzy hotel to discuss his future plans.

In an interview with CNN, Musharraf said he intended to return to politics, although he was coy when asked about the time-frame.

“I certainly am planning to go back to Pakistan and also join politics. The question already of whether I am running for president or prime minister will be seen later,” he said.

Officials in Pakistan earlier said Musharraf had applied to register a new party with electoral authorities, setting the stage for a political comeback.

“There are security issues. Maybe my wife and my family is more worried than I am but there are security issues which one needs to take into consideration and that is why I’m not laying down any dates for my return,” he said.

“But I do intend launching and declaring my intentions formally, sooner than later,” he said.

But Musharraf could face a criminal trial if he returns to Pakistan for detaining judges in 2007 as he attempted to cling to power.

Musharraf is also wanted for questioning over allegations in a UN-led investigation that he could have done more to prevent the December 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Musharraf disagreed with the UN report, saying, “I think all the security was provided” to Bhutto.

“In fact, it was me who warned her about the threat to her,” Musharraf said.

Musharraf said he had previously stopped Bhutto from going to the venue where she was later killed.

“A lot of political aspersions were cast on me that her movements are being restricted. But she decided to go again,” Musharraf said.

Musharraf said that he fully supported the military campaign ordered by Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in the lawless northwestern tribal areas.

The operation has won wide praise in the United States, where officials were long suspicious that elements of the Pakistani establishment during Musharraf’s rule played a double-game of supporting extremists.

But Musharraf joined the government in criticizing the US deployment of unmanned drones to kill wanted extremists in remote parts of Pakistan.

Musharraf mused that Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American accused of trying to set off a car bomb in New York’s Times Square, was angered by the drone campaign.

“I wonder whether this Faisal Shahzad incident… has he been affected by indiscriminate bombing by the drones?” Musharraf said.

Musharraf also backed the Pakistani government in banning Facebook over a furor about a page hosting caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

“I am a great supporter of Facebook,” Musharraf said.

“And that is why my Facebook was launched and it’s going on very, very successfully,” said Musharraf, whose Facebook page has attracted more than 200,000 fans.

Asked by CNN whether the Pakistani decision to block Facebook was the right move, Musharraf said that “in Pakistan and in the Muslim world generally” there is extreme sensitivity over casting “negative aspersions” on prophets.

“One has to look into, to obviously take some measures, because people were agitating,” Musharaff said.

“These are sensitive issues,” he added. “And for the sake of independence of media, liberty of speech, we cannot hurt sensitivities of millions of people.

“We must not do that. I am against that,” he said.

The Pakistani authorites blocked Facebook on court order after caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) appeared on a Facebook page created by an anonymous member who said he was acting to promote freedom of speech.

Facebook has expressed disappointment at being blocked and said it was considering whether to make the offending page inaccessible in Pakistan.