Assault on judiciary

The judiciary is considered a vital pillar of national strength. Justice is the fulcrum that keeps people contended and ensures the respectful image of any society. Pakistan’s bleak period of military rule from General Ayub Khan to General Pervez Musharraf is a saga of utter degradation of the apex court, which ‘legitimised’ ouster of the elected leaders on contrived pleas of corruption and inefficiency, and Parliament compliantly endorsed the judgments. The outgoing dictator, who was given a proper send-off under the civil government, as if he were a rightful ruler, was an act which shows how puerile is our political mind. A viable military is indeed a very important element of national power, but it must not transgress its obligation to remain glued to its professional acumen, and be in a state of constant readiness to take on the ‘enemy’, should it embark upon any adventure against Pakistan. The blunder Musharraf committed resulted in the Kargil fiasco.


I once had an opportunity to visit Sri Lanka to attend a Conference on Brahimi Commission Report on UN Peace Keeping Operation (2002), which was attended by top brass retired military officers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, besides some prominent foreign scholars. Other Pakistanis attending the conference were Lt Gen (Retd) Talat Masood and Maj Gen (Retd) Jamshed Ayaz. Often after dinner we would have interactional sessions with several Indian army officers. Discussions mainly converged on the Kashmir issue and the so-called crossborder terrorism on the part of Pakistan. What became clear was that Musharraf was the most “hated” among the Indian army personnel. It was only after he reneged from the historical UN Resolution on Kashmir and offered a so-called “out-of-box” approach; he became relatively acceptable to the Indian Establishment. This clearly highlights the dangers of the military or in fact any other institution, taking unilateral steps on sensitive issues. Each institution must carry out its own job diligently without interfering in the working of others

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 prepares to storm Pakistan politics

Former president and ex-chief of Pakistan Army Pervez Musharraf has secured himself a launchpad for his return to the country from his exile in London a political party which is founded with the desire of bringing about "a great change". "We are happy. There is still a lot of work to do, but we have
the concept, the objectives and the will," asserted retired General Rashid Qureshi, who was the military and presidential spokesperson for Musharraf and is now one of the "masterminds" behind the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML).

The APML emulates the name of the historical Muslim party that played a decisive role in the independence of Pakistan in 1947, after decades of struggle for freedom from the dominion of British Empire.

The official launch of the party took place quietly in the southern metropolis of Karachi in June where its leaders announced that the party wants to be for "all Pakistanis" without distinction of religion, ethnicity or social class.

"The people of Pakistan are tired of the government's incompetence. It is time for a great change," Qureshi told EFE, and affirmed that the party "has already been registered" and hopes to establish headquarters in all the big cities and provincial councils.

According to a party source, the party has organised various events in other important places of Pakistan like Lahore and the region of Gilgit-Baltistan, since its launch in Karachi.

Some of its leaders are currently in Dubai to meet Musharraf and design a strategy for the new formation.

The source also revealed that this month there could be a launch of the party in London, but added that the final decision is yet to be taken and that it depends on the political situation in Pakistan.

The most notable thing about the new party is that its existence might be the preamble to the come back to the country of retired General Musharraf, who according to Qureshi "would return soon" to Pakistan to head the organisation and to contest the next elections.

"The date (of the return) is not yet decided. We keep informing him of the situation here. When he returns we'll tell the people in advance," said the spokesperson, who added that the APML "is working to guarantee his security".

After nearly nine years in power, which he gained following a bloodless coup d'état, Musharraf found himself forced to give up the presidency of Pakistan in August 2008 to avoid the process of impeachment against him by parliament.

The former president stayed in the country for a while away from the front line but found himself hounded by a number of his old enemies among the political groups, the judiciary and civil society on account of his past manoeuvres when in power.

This made him leave Pakistan and go for pilgrimage to Makkah, and later serve as speaker at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and the US, till he settled down in Britain.

Sources from different parties including the one that supported his mandate, the Muslim League-Q, showed their concern on whether the former general would dare to return in the present circumstances; while Musharraf has already announced that he would contest in the "next elections".

In a recent video-conference, complete with a Pakistani flag, a bunch of red flowers, a thick book about Michelangelo and a collection of Mozart discs, he announced his decision to return to politics and was confident of obtaining the nation's support.

His hope comes from the renewed rage that he has awakened through internet: his virtual page on Facebook, for example, has a significant figure of 218,071 followers, and that of the APML has added more than 1,500 in a few days.

"You are actually a real leader. We need you here," writes an internet user in support of his return, among other comments.

Not very pleased with the prospect, the influential Pakistani daily "Dawn" expressed its doubts in a recent editorial whether "the self-proclaimed conquest of cyber-space really coincides with the reality" of an underdeveloped country.

"Musharraf has to be prepared to face possible judicial charges against him if he returns to Pakistan," said the newspaper.

A Western diplomatic source described it as being a "positive" thing that a new political party led by Musharraf has been founded in a country which, after all, is considered a democracy.

"Obviously it is very likely that he would become de facto president and (his figure) represents a rupture in the democratic system, which has experienced frequent alterations in Pakistan," said the source.

Spokesperson Qureshi admitted that some parties are hostile to Musharraf despite not being able to present "solid" accusations, and defended that the former general "is even more popular with the lower classes".