August 19, 2008	Tuesday	Sha’aban 16, 1429

WASHINGTON, Aug 18: Former President Pervez Musharraf may soon go to Saudi Arabia for Umra and by then he would have decided whether he wants to live in Pakistan or abroad, senior diplomatic sources told Dawn.

According to these sources, Mr Musharraf does not want to give the impression that he is fleeing the country and that’s why he did not accept an offer from the government to whisk him out of Pakistan after the resignation.

Instead, he opted for a phased approach, staying under the army’s protection for a while before going abroad.

Mr Musharraf initially wanted to stay in Pakistan and demanded protection from the government but changed his mind after his close aides convinced him that he may never be safe in his country.

He has four possible destinations if he chooses to go abroad – Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Britain and the United States.

Diplomatic sources say that Mr Musharraf is not very keen on living in Saudi Arabia where he may have a safe stay but will not have the freedom to speak his mind should he choose to do so.

Turkey is a more attractive destination but because of its proximity to Iraq, it is not considered safe for him. Al Qaeda has a strong presence in Iraq and it may not be difficult for the group to send its men to Turkey to target him, as it has pledged to do.

Diplomatic sources in Washington, however, say that Mr Musharraf may live in Saudi Arabia briefly before moving to another location, probably somewhere in the United States.

Although, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told US news channels on Sunday that the United States was not considering any request for granting political asylum to Mr Musharraf, the American administration is sympathetic to the former strongman.

Both President George Bush and Ms Rice expressed their admiration and gratitude for Mr Musharraf after he announced his resignation.

Diplomatic observers in Washington noted that Ms Rice had only said that the proposal to grant political asylum to Mr Musharraf was “not on the table”. She did not say that the US administration would turn him down if he made such a request.

Mr Musharraf also has several close relatives – including a son and a brother – in the United States and he may come here for a visit and then decide whether he wants to live here, return home or go somewhere else.

London could be another attractive place for Mr Musharraf because it is closer to Pakistan than the US, has a large Pakistani community and he will have all the freedoms he needs to express his views.