Musharraf wanted technocrat-led Pak govt within months of 2008 elections: WikiLeaks

LAHORE - Just after six months of the 2008 general elections in Pakistan, former president Pervez Musharraf was mulling to replace the freshly elected government with that of technocrats, a diplomatic cable released by whistle-blower website WikiLeaks has revealed.

According to a July 25, 2008 cable, in view of the weakening relations between PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, Musharraf was certain that the two would part ways, and in that case, Zardari would need new allies to keep his majority from falling, Geo News reported.

Under the circumstances, the PML-Q could come forward for the purpose, it added.

However, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Zardari apprehended that they could be at a political disadvantage by working with the former dictator, and Gilani wanted to take up the issue during his US visit, said the cable.

Musharraf asked the US government to assure Gilani that Washington’s support for the former military ruler would continue, the cable added. (ANI)