Musharraf in Britain to argue he is still man to lead Pakistan

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
President Pervez Musharraf arrived Friday to argue his case to the Britain's large Pakistani community and the government that he is the best hope for restoring democracy and peace in his nuclear-armed nation. Musharraf's London visit is the final stop of his whirlwind tour of Europe, where he has sought to convince critics that February elections in Pakistan will be free and fair. But it is in Britain where he finds his most captive audience - the majority of the country's some 1.6 million Muslims are of Pakistani descent and whose power and opinions can shape political futures. Much of Pakistan's recent political drama has played out in luxury homes and five-star hotels in central London. It was here where slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto marshaled her opposition movement against Musharraf. Another exiled former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, also chose London to plot his return home.