Speaking tours may fetch Mushararf up to 2 lakh dollars per day!

Lahore, Aug 24 : Chicago-based international public relations firm "Embark LLC" is likely to approach former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf to hire him for a series of lectures in the US, Middle East countries and Europe, fetching him between 150,000-200,000 US dollars per day.

After retiring from the presidency o Monday, Musharraf is leading a relaxed life in Rawalpindi for the past week playing tennis and golf with friends.

"When the 65-year-old former army chief finally leaves his British colonial-style residence inside Rawalpindi's army garrison for an expected pilgrimage to Makkah in the next few days, he may continue traveling on a lucrative speaking tour through the Middle East, Europe and the US," said a New York-based news magazine.

Musharraf, an articulate and a brash 44-year army veteran, can earn power on the lecture circuit could approach that of former US president Bill Clinton, who famously snubbed him during a lightning visit to Islamabad eight years ago.

Embark President David B Wheeler said that Musharraf would be accorded a VIP treatment while on speaking tours. "The speaking fee for Musharraf would be in the range of 150,000-200,000 dollars for a day, plus jet and other VIP arrangements on the ground," the Daily Times quoted the magazine as saying.

According to Wheeler, Clinton, for whom Embark has arranged speaking engagements in the Middle East, commands up to 250,000 dollars per appearance. "If we did multiple events in multiple cities, Musharraf could get closer to the 500,000 to 1,000,000 dollars range for a series of talks," he said.

Embark, which promises "unique experiences that educate, entertain and enlighten", has in the past also booked speeches for former US president George HW Bush and former US secretary of state Colin Powell.

Meanwhile, Musharraf is also learnt to be planning to write a sequel to his successful 2006 autobiography, "In the Line of Fire", which could easily net him another seven-figure windfall.

ANI