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Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf rumoured to be mulling move to New Mexico |

Link: Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf rumoured to be mulling move to New Mexico |
World news |
guardian.co.uk
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The Shah of Iran went to Italy. Benazir Bhutto went to London. Now that Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has resigned to ride out his country's political storm, could he be headed to New Mexico?

The famously laid-back US state, where former UN ambassador Bill Richardson serves as governor, is a most unlikely destination for the former Pakistani army chief. But Shuja Nawaz, a veteran Pakistani journalist and former International Monetary Fund official, said yesterday that Musharraf may head to the American west.

"This is my understanding, based on conversations with people in Pakistan, that he's likely … to leave the country, and that a possible immediate destination may be Dubai, and then eventually may be New Mexico in the United States," Nawaz told the PBS NewsHour programme yesterday.

If Musharraf does settle in Richardson's state, it would signify a marked détente between the two men. Richardson, who was America's UN representative under Bill Clinton, called Musharraf a "terrorist" during a January TV appearance - before correcting his characterisation to "tyrant" - and called for the Pakistani's resignation in late 2007.

A US state department spokesman told reporters today that Musharraf has so far not asked for asylum in America but added that the resigned president "has a right to live wherever he wants".

Arkansas' state Democratic Party leader killed - SantaFeNewMexican.com

Link: Arkansas' state Democratic Party leader killed - SantaFeNewMexican.com.

The chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party was shot and killed Wednesday by a man who barged into his Little Rock office.

The suspect fled, apparently to the Arkansas Baptist State Convention about six blocks down the street, where he threatened a security guard. When he left there, sheriff's deputies gave chase and shot him after a 30-minute pursuit, authorities said. He later died.

Police identified the gunman as Timothy Dale Johnson, 50, of Searcy, The Associated Press reported. Johnson's motive remained a mystery.

The state Democratic chairman, Bill Gwatney, was in his office shortly before noon when a man walked into the party's Capitol Avenue headquarters and demanded to see him, authorities said. Gwatney's secretary refused to let him through, but he pushed past her.

He introduced himself to Gwatney, a well-known former state legislator and a superdelegate to the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Denver. Then he pulled out a handgun and shot Gwatney several times in the upper body, police said. Gwatney died about four hours later at a hospital.