He’s the comeback kid with no comeback. And now, his steely promises of returning home to get Pakistan back on the straight and narrow could turn into yet more hot air. For a petition has been filed before the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking to have Gen (rtd) Pervez Musharraf barred from heading his own political party, the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML). Let us hope that this does not push him into the arms of Hafiz Saeed’s Milli Muslim League (MML). Though, presumably the security establishment does not believe the moderately enlightened one-time ‘enemy combatant’ is in need of being ‘tamed’; whether or not he needs to be mainstreamed is, of course, another matter. This time around the moves against Musharraf refer to an earlier disqualification that saw the ECP stamp out his dreams of contesting the 2013 elections; invoking Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. And then there is the un-small matter of the deposed Nawaz Sharif having had the PMLN presidency pulled out from beneath him. And what is for bad for the goose must also be bad for the gander. The petition is both fortunate and unfortunate. Meaning that, in reality, it should not be needed. For not only is Musharraf a declared absconder in the Benazir Bhutto murder case — he is being probed for corruption. But above and beyond all that he is a repeat offender when it comes to constitutional violations. This led to the Supreme Court, in the run-up to the last elections, approving an application requesting action against the former military strongman. The word of the highest court in the land should have been sufficient to deter him from trying to enter into the political fray. But this being Pakistan, anything and everything is possible. Including Musharraf and Nawaz facing the same political fate. And as a wise woman once sang: isn’t it ironic? * Published in Daily Times, March 2nd 2018.