The dream house that Musharraf built but may not live in

[LRE]

The dream house that Musharraf built but may not live in

* The Times report says politicians, diplomats believe threat of prosecution and assassination has made it ‘extremely complicated’ for former president to stay in Pakistan



LONDON: General ® Pervez Musharraf may never be able to live in the villa he has constructed on the outskirts of Islamabad, reports The Times.

According to the British daily, 1-A Park Road in Chak Shahzad, five miles outside the capital, looks, at first glance, like many other houses built by Pakistan’s tycoons on the outskirts of Islamabad: it has a swimming pool, a five-acre garden and a four-bedroom villa in Moroccan and Mediterranean style.

When he resigned as the president on Monday Musharraf and his wife, Sehba, had planned to move out of Army House, their home since 1998, and into the villa, which is worth an estimated £ 1 million.

Defiant in defeat, Mr Musharraf told friends, after playing tennis on Wednesday, that he planned to stay in Pakistan, the paper reports, adding that he even telephoned Hammad Husain, his architect, to discuss the work on the house.

Husain told the paper that he thinks that Musharraf is planning to live there as he has taken such a strong interest in the house whose construction began in 2004.

Threat: But, according to the newspaper, politicians and diplomats believe that the threat of prosecution and assassination has made it extremely complicated, if not impossible, for the former president to stay in Pakistan — let alone in his new house.

A senior Pakistani diplomat told The Times that Musharraf planned to go to Britain first, possibly within a few days, but not to settle there. He might also visit Saudi Arabia for the Umra pilgrimage, and could spend weeks travelling overseas before deciding where to settle, the diplomat added.

The architect says the house is simple and reflects Musharraf’s personality. “It’s not ostentatious. It’s very understated and anything but palatial.”

He said Musharraf wanted every room to have views on to the garden, which has a fish pond and an apple and citrus orchard. “He’s very into greenery, nature, trees, plants and flowers,” Husain said, adding. “We worked hard to incorporate all the details according to the lifestyle he wanted to pursue. The last time Musharraf visited the property was the night before he resigned, the architect said.

The report said that when Musharraf bought the empty plot in 2003 it was worth about Rs 30 million rupees (£ 230,000), based on land prices in the area at the time. Today the house and the garden are worth Rs 120-140 million, making it a good investment even if he has to sell it or rent it out, the paper concluded. app

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...008_pg7_26