Musharraf to reveal many secrets

Islamabad—Former President and General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf plans to reveal many secrets within next few weeks including the reason and causes that led him to make unpopular decisions and actions.

According to a source who is in touch with the former President now abroad, Pervez Musharraf would like to clear his own position and unfold the circumstances and situation that caused several fatal actions including the Operation against Lal Masjid and the tragic death of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti.

Political experts say that startling revelations by Musharraf may cause a new political storm in the country and clarify the role and character of others behind the number of actions and moves that led to the downfall of Musharraf regime. Observers believe that Musharraf may also touch on original understanding of NRO reached between Musharraf regime and Pakistan People’s Party that led to the return of Benazir Bhutto and subsequent elections in the country.

The source said Musharraf may opt to hold a series of media interviews revealing many untold stories and events that took place between 2006-2008.

Barrister Saif denies Musharraf seeking security from Pak Army

ISLAMABAD—PML Central Leader Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif has denied that former President Pervez Musharraf sought security from the Pak Army. In a statement issued here Monday, he said the former President did not ask the Pak Army for provision of security to him, but as former President and Chief of Army Staff, he has the constitution right to have security.

Barrister Saif said government and the Pak Army will provide security to Pervez Musharraf. He said on the return of former President, a force of workers of APML will be formed which will provide security to him.

He said Pervez Musharraf will take part on country’s politics and he will soon arrive Pakistan . Referring to Ejazul Haq’s press conference regarding merger of PML factions, Barrister Saif said that Ejazul Haq is appeasing Nawaz Sahrif and he has no say in Pakistani politics. Barrister Saif claimed that Pervez Musharraf will lead the PML after the merger.—NNI

Musharraf plans return, looks to Army for security

LONDON: Former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf finally kicked off his campaign to return to Pakistan as he launched an attack on Saturday from Dubai against his political rivals — Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari — and their poor governance and said the Army would provide him security on his return within coming months.

Musharraf said if the military was under any constraints not to provide him security, he would raise his own private security on his return to Pakistan in the coming months to face both Nawaz Sahrif and Asif Ali Zardari.

General Musharraf told his top aides in a six-hour-long marathon meeting in Dubai on Saturday that he was willing to face any legal proceedings against him and would even face jail if a fair trial was conducted. “I have many top legal minds assisting me and they will come to my aid if I need them,” he was quoted by sources as saying during the crucial meeting.

Top sources told The News in London that Gen Musharraf had convened a meeting at his flat in downtown Dubai, which was attended by former foreign minister Khurshid Kusuri, Hamid Nasir Chattha, Ishaq Khan Khakwani, Raza Hiraj, Ch Shahbaz, Barrister Saif, Ch Fawwad, Dr Amjad, Lt Gen (retd) Muzaffar, ex-QMG, and Maj Gen (retd) Rashid Quershi. The meeting lasted for over six hours. The deteriorating law and order situation and economic meltdown in Pakistan was discussed in detail.

Sources said General (retd) Musharraf vowed to return to Pakistan in the Dubai meeting aimed at chalking out his return strategy. This was first time he held a serious meeting with his aides to stage a comeback to Pakistan and face his main rival Nawaz Sharif.

During his discourse, Musharraf made it clear whatever he did in curtailing the activities of extremist elements, he did it in his capacity as the president and Army chief. “This is exactly in the same manner as the current set up: the chief executive, the army chief and the corp commanders of Peshawar and Rawalpindi were carrying out their duties,” he told his aides.

One source said that Gen Musharraf actually sent a message to present Pakistani leadership and his key opponents who wanted to put him on trial that even present military leadership was busy in the same activities as it was the call of duty.

Sources said that the timetable for the return of Gen Musharraf to Pakistan and launching of the political party also came under discussion. Many views were exchanged on all the subjects. Musharraf was said to be very confident about his return to Pakistan. During his meeting with his former colleagues he addressed the concerns and questions, which might have been in their minds. Musharraf emphasized that it was the duty of the government, the armed forces and the paramilitary forces to contain the extremists and protect the people.

He said he had served the country well (much and far better than the bad governance and misrule of the last two and a half years rule of the PPP and the PML-N). He said that the people were in far better position than they were in now. He stated that he got hundreds of messages everyday in praise of his years in office. He further deliberated that after serving for nine years and attaining the highest offices in the army and as head of the state, he was not really aspiring for any personal political gain, but wanted to help Pakistan from sliding further down. He said the present political leadership of the country was not capable to serve the people and their repeated coming to office, for the third and fourth time, in the past two decades had shown that they were void of any acumen to provide good governance or even learnt anything from their past mistakes.

The sources said Musharraf appreciated the efforts of the leaders of various factions of the Muslim League uniting against the PML-N and wished them well. He stated that he was not against the Chaudhrys of Gujrat and would be very happy to receive them. He further reiterated that his doors were open for all his former colleagues and called upon them to shun their differences.

Musharraf gets political advice but no real support

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), launched by former military dictator Pervez Musharraf a couple of months ago, seems to be in the doldrums as it has failed to attract any of the well-known leaders from the several PML factions.

After he was apparently ditched by his chief political supporters of yesteryear, the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, Mr Musharraf has also failed to win over to his side other important PML leaders who met him in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, according to sources. Mr Musharraf nowadays spends considerable time in the United Arab Emirates.

He recently got a jolt when he was advised by his political sympathisers to refrain from returning to Pakistan until he got “positive signals” from within the country.



According to one of his sympathisers, Mr Musharraf’s decision to name non-political people like Rashid Qureshi and Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif as leaders of his party has cost him dearly.

Govt sends Musharraf abroad under a mutual understanding: Nawaz

SIALKOT: Quaid PML-N Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has accused that the government wanted to protect former President Pervez Musharraf and he (Musharraf) was sent abroad under a mutual understanding.

Addressing to a public gathering on Saturday, the Quaid PML underlined that President Asif Ali Zardari was insisted several times for the accountability of Pervez Musharraf and he should have been accountable for dissolving judiciary, killing Nawab Akbar Bugti and starting Lal Masjid operation.

The Quaid PML-N has requested the court to take suo motu notice of all illegal actions taken by Pervez Musharraf.

He also said that after the elections, he reminded Asif Ali Zardari to fulfill promised made in to CoD that was inked between him and PPP Chairperson Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, but President Zardari did not follow CoD with letter and spirit.

PML-N Quaid further emphasized that some sections of CoD were particularly designed in the interest of the country and to strengthen democratic process in the country.

He also remarked that actions should be taken against former dictator as American President has taken action against General Mc-Crystal as the nation wanted to bring the dictator in the court.

PML-N Chief clarified that PML-N dispelled the impression that N-League is a friendly opposition, adding that had PML-N friendly opposition, it would not have takeout Long-March against the ruling government. Quaid PML-N said that the party never taken any step for personal interests but remained at forefront for the national interests.

Parliament protected martial laws: Ramday

ISLAMABAD – The incumbent legislators have destroyed the parliamentary image through different clauses, including 175-A, 63-A and 239, of the 18th Constitutional Amendment which are negating the basic structure of the Constitution, Abdul Hafeez Pirzada argued Tuesday before a 17-member larger bench of the Supreme Court.

The 17-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry is hearing identical petitions against certain clauses of the 18th Amendment. Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday said that the courts accorded temporary validation to martial laws, but others (Parliament) provided every time permanent protection to it and only the institution of judiciary was being singled out.
Pirzada said in his arguments that it was a unique characteristic of the 1973 Constitution that it

was passed unanimously and no dictator had courage to abrogate it though it was put in abeyance by General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf. He said except a few amendments,


the other changes in the Constitution were quite appreciative.
Abdul Hafeez Pirzada said that the 18th Amendment had destroyed the parliamentary image of
the 1973 Constitution and its Article 239 barred the jurisdiction of the court to examine the laws passed by the Parliament. He said that the Supreme Court had the powers to decide disputes between the Federating Units and the Federation.

Justice Saqib Nisar asked Pirzada what was the correlation between the convention and the expressed will of the people. He stated if the constitution was a living document, then the future

generation could make changes in it.
Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk asked, “Can the court strike down an expressed will if it is against the convention?”

Pirzada replied where was the will of the people when General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency in the country as the then National and Punjab Assemblies had supported him.

The Chief Justice said that the Parliament did not validate the action but it only passed the resolution.

Justice Jawwad S Khawaja citing a politician said that the parliamentarians considered themselves as servants of the people and the masses were the real masters of their government.

Pervez Musharraf planning to return to politics: Aide

ISLAMABAD: Former president Pervez Musharraf is planning to return to Pakistan from self-exile and head the newly formed All Pakistan Muslim League, his top aide said today.

"We have organised co-ordinating councils, we call them, which are at present involved in recruiting people or getting people to join All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) which is the political party, which Inshah Allah, be led by president Musharraf and will bring the sort of progress and prosperity to Pakistan that it had in time when Musharraf was around," retired general Rashid Qureshi said.

Qureshi, who was the military and presidential spokesperson for Musharraf, has been in the forefront in setting up the APML.

"You see, earlier on, president Musharraf was not actively involved in politics. Yes, he was at one time, the chief executive of the country and later on the President of Pakistan. But the political side was being handled by the PML(Q) and all political decisions were taken by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Parvez Ilahi, obviously in consultation with the president," he said.

"Some of these political decisions turned out to be not very popular with the people of Pakistan," he added.

Musharraf has lived outside Pakistan since mid-April last year. He left Pakistan after a slew of cases were filed against him in courts across the country. Musharraf is mostly based in London after leaving the country.

The former president was forced to step down as army chief in November 2008 and was earlier barred from active politics in the country for two years.