After being forced to abandon presidentship of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf may not even opt to stay in his expensive dream home being built on the outskirts of Islamabad, media reported today.
The former military ruler may be forced to abandon his 1 million pound worth 4-bed room villa as threats of prosecution and assassination made it extremely complicated, if not impossible, for him to stay in Pakistan - let alone in his new house, senior diplomats and politicians were quoted as saying by The Times newspaper.
When he resigned as President on Monday, Musharraf and his wife, Sehba, had planned to move out of Army House, their home since 1998, and into the villa with a swimming pool and five-acre garden which is worth about 1 million pounds.
Defiant in defeat, Musharraf told friends after playing tennis yesterday that he planned to stay in Pakistan. He even telephoned Hammad Husain, his architect to discuss the work on the house.
"If I hadn't known he had resigned, I would never have guessed," 38-year-old Husain, son of a former army officer who was in the Special Forces with Musharraf told the newspaper.
"I think he's planning to live there. He's taken such a strong interest in the house. I don't think he's one to run away." he said.
There are speculations that he might visit Saudi Arabia for the Umra pilgrimage, and could spend weeks travelling overseas before deciding where to settle, one senior diplomat said. Potential refuges include America, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
