US says will consider any asylum bid by Musharraf

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said Tuesday it would study any application for asylum by former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf but pointed out that no such bid had been made so far.
“We haven’t been asked to provide him with any asylum or place of residence,” State Department spokesman Robert Wood said amid speculations that the former staunch US “war on terror” ally who quit Monday might stay abroad, including in the United States.
“If he chooses to take up residence somewhere, I mean if he were to request that, we would obviously look at it, but it’s not an issue that we’ve been approached with,” Wood explained.
The White House said Bush plans to reach out to senior Pakistan officials soon in the wake of Pervez Musharraf’s resignation as president.
“I, you know, would expect that the President will have high-level contact with the Pakistani authorities, you know, in the near future,” White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said while Bush was on his Texas ranch.
Johndroe declined to comment directly on reports that Musharraf might seek asylum in the United States, saying he was unaware of any contacts on that score between the former Pakistani leader and US officials.
“As far as President Musharraf’s location, where he will eventually live, that’s a matter for him and the Pakistanis to deal with,” said Johndroe.