LONDON: Former military ruler and head of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) General (rtd) Pervez Musharraf predicted that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party are set to win 2018 elections unless a grand alliance of various parties is made to defeat these two parties.

Musharaf said that there was a 90% chance that PPP and PMLN will win elections from their traditional strongholds, including from possibly KP, if a third force is not formed to mount a challenge.

He said Imran khan alone cannot defeat PMLN and PPP because he has no plan.

The former president assured Imran Khan that he was not interested in taking over the office of prime minister.

At the press conference, Pervez Musharraf was accompanied by officer bearers of his party including European Organiser and former party president UK Afzaal Siddiqui, President APML-UK Tebraiz Aurah and Media Secretary Shaan Abidi.

“Imran Khan has done a lot to raise awareness on Panama case and other issues and deserves credit for that but he needs new thinking and rise above himself and look beyond. I say openly I have no desire to become the prime minister of Pakistan; I have the best understanding of Muslim ummah and Pakistan. I am not insecure and I can guarantee that I am ready to shake hand with Imran Khan and for that matter anyone on this planet who is against PPP and PMLN.”

When asked when he will return to Pakistan, Musharraf said that he was trying to get his cases resolved through courts but would return once there is mass public support behind him.

The former president said he is avoiding Pakistan because there’s no point in returning if his freedom of movement is restricted.

He said that Tabdeeli was needed in Pakistan because the country faces existential internal and external threats.

“Our economy is going down. Pakistan’s debt has crossed 70 billion rupees. We were about to be declared defaulted in 1999. I took Pakistan forward. I gave confidence to Pakistan. Everybody today wants to leave Pakistan, those in Pakistan are in a bad shape and I have the right solutions,” he said.

Pervez Musharraf said that former Indian prime ministers, Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, were good people and wanted to normalise relations with Pakistan but Narendra Modi’s intentions are against Pakistan.

He said that India’s institutions are fundamentally against Pakistan.

“India realises that there is no military solution in respect to Pakistan, so they are looking for non-military solutions by strangulating Pakistan’s economy, weakening Pakistan army, isolating Pakistan internationally and internally destabalising Pakistan. This is what India’s strategists are saying.”

On the question of Raheel Shareef taking up position as head of Saudi-led military alliance, Pervez Musharraf said that it was a ‘sensitive matter’ and was being seen in many circles in ‘sectarian terms’.

Musharraf said that ambiguities exist around Raheel Shareef’s appointment.

“If the position were offered to me by Saudi Arabia, I would have asked what the job is going to be, who I am going to lead and what are aims and objectives of this alliance,” however he added that Raheel Shareef was an excellent man, he hoped that the former army chief would make good use of his new role.