Islamabad, Aug 21 (ANI): Political pundits and diplomats in Pakistan have said that the dream house - Number 1A Park Road - that former President Pervez Musharraf built on the outer-skirts of Islamabad, which he even visited the night before he resigned, may hot be his address as his life would be endangered here.
According to them, the threat of prosecution and assassination made it extremely complicated for Musharraf to stay in Pakistan, let alone in his new house, said an article in timeonline.co.uk.
It quoted a senior Pakistani diplomat as saying Musharraf planned to go to the UK first 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.
His potential refuges include America, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Whichever he chooses, it will be a crushing disappointment for Musharraf, who has personally supervised the design of his villa since work began in 2004.
"It's a very simple house and reflects the President's personality. It's not ostentatious. It's very understated and anything but palatial," said Musharraf's villa's chief architect Hammad Husain.
He said that Musharraf, 65, had been inspired to build the house after a trip to Morocco, and 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. We worked hard to incorporate all the details according to the lifestyle he wanted to pursue," added the architect.
"He is not loaded with millions like other leaders are. Sometimes he worried about the cost of things. He's not someone whose hand had been in the cookie jar," Husain said.
The size and value of the property, however, has raised eyebrows in a country where 73.6 per cent of the population live on less than $2 a day, according to the UN.
When Musharraf purchased the empty plot in 2003 it was worth about three crore Pakistani rupees, based on land prices in the area at the time. Today the house and garden are worth 120-14 crore rupees, making it a good investment even if he has to sell it or rent it out. (ANI)
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