Now that a career in politics is over, at least for the time being, former Pakistan dictator Pervez Musharraf is looking at alternative career options, it is learnt. A day after his arrest, Perv, as Musharraf is called in many quarters in Lahore and Islamabad, is reportedly toying with the idea of changing career direction.

Musharraf, who ran away from the Islamabad high court premises soon after the judge ordered for his arrest on Thursday morning, was immediately offered a spot in the Pakistan cricket team. Sources in the cricket board said on conditions of anonymity that the PCB is looking at appointing him the captain of the team.

“We were amazed at the alacrity with which he just took off. Out cricket team captains, too, need to be just as good at running. They always need to run away from the media, which tries to gun for the skipper after each monthly dose of match-fixing allegation, the mullahs who think cricket is a western game best left back in London, to be pursued by non-resident Pakistanis who nurse a twang and a thing for tandoori chicken, and the masses, who aim their stones and fireballs at the captain’s house after each series defeat,” the same source said on the same condition of anonymity

But an official from the country’s athletics association pooh-poohed that claim, saying Musharraf has shown more talent in short-distance running. “Look at the way he bolted from the courtroom. It’s a performance matched only by Ussain Bolt; no less!” the official, who refused to be named for fear of being identified by the political, military, religious zealots’ and other establishments, exclaimed excitedly.

Asked whether Pakistan would field the former dictator, seen by many as a mountaineer par excellence since his (mis)adventures in Kargil, in 2016 Olympics, the official, who was running while talking on the phone since the athletics association has made it mandatory for all its mandarins to run for fun during waking hours, said it is too early to comment on that. “We expect many other politicians to have a run-in with their counterparts in other political parties or run out of the country after/if the elections are held next months. We will wait and watch; our coaches would be working fulltime during and after the elections to check more talent at the time,” the official said.

Meanwhile, there were reports that several pizza delivery firms are also eyeing the services of the former dictator. Not willing to confirm whether he is a confirmed spokesperson for Vice of Italy pizza, a man said, “He could be the ideal delivery man. ‘Want pizza? Call Mush’. That could be our tagline now.”

When contacted, a representative from rival Show-me-no Pizza said the company is toying with the idea of putting up Musharraf’s motorcade’s picture in its advertisement hoardings to denote the speed of dispatch, dash and delivery, as also trying out a new mushroom-based meat pizza tentatively named Meet Mush pizza.

The company is learnt to have already approached Musharraf in police custody to let them copyright his name and sought details of the time it took for him to scamper from the courtroom to the car. “We will promise to deliver a pizza within those few minutes to customers at our takeaway joints,” the Show-me-no Pizza representative said.

Elsewhere, there were unconfirmed reports that Dubai real estate agents are eager to make Musharraf one of their sales representatives in anticipation of a long stay in jail for the former Pakistan president. A source close to a source said the realty biggies expect more politicians to land up in Pakistani jails before, during and after the elections to the parliament, promised to be held on May 11. Real estate firms expect many of those inmates to buy property in Dubai and relocate — either before, during or after the promised elections