ISLAMABAD, Sept 3: The Chak Shahzad farm house that the former President Gen (retired) Pervez Musharraf built for his retirement and which was the centre of considerable controversy during his tenure has finally been inhabited. His wife, Sehba Musharraf, who made a quiet return to Pakistan a few days ago, is staying there as the house's first occupant.

The farm house, on the outskirts of the federal capital, appears quiet and more or less uninhabited from the outside. No sign of life or activity was observed around the palatial house during a visit. Even the guards' rooms appeared empty.

What may be happening inside was even more difficult to ascertain as a huge boundary wall, which has been further secured by barbed wire and security cameras, prevents any outsider from even glancing inside.

“Only guards were residing in the house before she arrived,” a security guard of a farm house opposite to Musharraf's house told Dawn .

It was not even possible to determine if special security had been provided at the house since she has returned to the country and started residing there. The Islamabad Police, however, have not been involved. “I have not received any request for special security for Mrs Musharraf,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Islamabad Ahsan Abbas.

The construction of this Chak Shahzad home began when Musharraf was ruling the country. Towards the end of his tenure, considerable controversy arose over his decision, and those of other influential people, to build homes in what was marked out as agricultural land to grow food to supply Islamabad.

After Musharraf retired as chief of army staff and handed over command of the military to Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and then resigned from the president's position, he continued to live in the Army House. One of the reasons given for his protracted stay at the official residence of the chief of army staff was that the Chak Shahzad farm house was under construction.

Dawn has learnt from a senior official of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) who deals with construction of houses in the city and their approval that the construction of the farm house was completed in early 2008 though it was then still to undergo the finishing touches inside. However, before this process ended the couple left the country and settled in London. The house, nonetheless, caught the public attention once again when it was revealed that it was being charged subsidised electricity rates.

After a short period of obscurity, the farm house is now once again the centre of attention with the return of Sehba Musharraf.

People close to Musharraf, however, say the visit is personal and will end shortly. Lt-Gen (retired) Rashid Qureshi, former spokesman for Musharraf, said Sehba Musharraf was on a private visit and would remain in Islamabad for 10 to 15 days. “Musharraf is going to deliver a lecture in Hong Kong in the middle of this month and she will join him there,” he said.

Nonetheless, her trip has raised eyebrows as the recent past has seen Musharraf gearing up for a political role. He has announced the launch of a political party and had even given a few political statements. Earlier, he had called a meeting of some of his loyalists in Dubai.

This is why it was being conjectured that Sehba Musharraf's return may hint at her husband's return in the near future. However, the mainstream political parties have dismissed such inferences.

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership is not interested in commenting on it. When contacted, PML-N spokesman Siddiqul Farooq refused to comment on the visit of Sehba Musharraf. The response of PPP leader and spokesman for the president Farhatullah Babar was similar. “We have no concern whether she is coming or going,” said Mr Babar.