Musharraf to address House of Lords - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Two Muslim members of the House of Lords have been involved in controversy and blame-game over inviting former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf to address a meeting in one of the Lords' committee rooms here on Tuesday evening. Conservative Peer Lord Iltaf Sheikh has booked Committee Room No: 4A, which will be used on Tuesday as a venue of a meeting to be attended only by invitees and to be addressed by Musharraf at 6.30 p.m. Later on, dinner would be served to only eight selected guests at Lords' dinning room. Insider confided to the 'The Nation' that Musharraf had himself asked for this meeting through Tory Councillor Sarfraz Anjum, the former mayor of Safron Walden. Sarfraz enjoys good and close family relations with the former president and the later also attended the 'walima' of Sarfraz's only son Councillor Raza Anjum at the Lords again arranged by Lord Sheikh last year. Talking to 'The Nation' on Thursday, Lord Iltaf Sheikh said that we have invited the former president to deliver a lecture on 'Leadership - How to overcome confronting challenges. Pervez Musharraf has held two significant portfolios as Chief of Pakistan Army and President of the country. "His experiments count and we all must be benefited of it", he added. Lord Sheikh has appealed to all parties to keep politics out. He said that the great leader would only talk about the leadership, the team management issues and building spirits. "He will tell the Muslim youth how they can achieve big positions in life."