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.