Armitage says attempt on Musharraf’s life thwarted

Answering a question about the risk run by foreign leaders who have joined hands with the United States in its campaign against terrorism, Armitage said: ‘‘witness the fact that President Musharraf’s intelligence service thwarted a bombing attempt on him yesterday.’’ He did not elaborate any further about the “attempt”.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani government, including General Pervez Musharraf himself, has denied any fresh plot against him. ‘‘There is no threat to my life. God is great. He saves all,’’ the Pakistani President said on Thursday. He further said that he was performing his duties ‘‘comfortably’’ and without any fear whatsoever.

‘‘This is wrong to say that there is a threat to my life,’’ Musharraf told reporters at a conference here yesterday.

On reports of extraordinary security arrangements for him whenever he visited Karachi, he said he always enjoyed visiting Karachi and moved in the city freely.

Musharraf said he had dinners in ‘‘Lal Qila and zamzama’’ restaurants in Karachi, which, amply showed that there was no threat to his life as was often ‘‘falsely’’ said these days, local daily Dawn quoted him as saying.