1. I didn’t know that General Musharraf was now living in London.
2. I didn’t know that Lord Ahmed, who was briefly imprisoned this year in connection with a dangerous driving incident in which a man was killed [by pure accident, with no blame at all attaching to Lord Ahmed in any way], has been allowed back into the Labour Party.
Here he is, described as a “Labour Peer“, agitating about something or other:
Lord Ahmed wrote to Alan Johnson last month but has yet to receive a reply. In the letter, the life peer said: “It is evident from various newspaper reports that the British Pakistani and Kashmiri community is deeply disturbed and divided by [Mr Musharraf’s] controversial [alleged political] campaign and the security provided by the Home Office for this purpose. I would strongly urge the Government to distance themselves from Mr Musharraf and his political ambitions here as I firmly believe that any perceived promotion or assistance of his activities here may have an adverse impact on community cohesion within the United Kingdom. This is especially the case amongst the British Pakistani and Muslim communities here.”
Mr Musharraf’s appearance at events within the Muslim community and further afield have prompted angry reactions. During the summer, he went to Slough for the Pakistan Independence Day Celebrations.
In a letter to Lord Ahmed, Pervez Choudhry, a borough councillor in the town, said: “The people of Slough and in particular the Pakistani community are extremely upset and angry that local Labour Party officials took it upon themselves to invite General Musharraf to Slough.”
Councillor Choudhry continued: “They used this day to furtively invite this man whose hands are drenched in the blood of innocent men, women and children in Pakistan. This is seen as a slap on the face of British Pakistanis and total disregard for democratic values in Britain.”
