Re: Human Rights Organization files petition to put Mush on ECL
By Mumtaz Alvi
ISLAMABAD: Furious ruling coalition members in the National Assembly on Tuesday called for former president Pervez Musharraf’s trial under Article 6, saying a safe exit to what they called a ‘criminal’ would encourage ‘adventurers’ in the future to toe his line.
On the second day of the debate on the resignation of Musharraf, there was no let-up in the tirade against him, as the PML-Q adopted a conciliatory tone and offered cooperation to the government in coping with the challenges to national security and the economy.
Opposition leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was again conspicuous by his absence from the house. He had repeatedly announced prior to the presidential election last year that Musharraf would be elected again and again in military uniform.
Some treasury speakers were of the view that Musharraf should face open trial and he should be handcuffed like any criminal. The lawmakers protested over presenting a guard of honour to a person who had abrogated the Constitution and triggered confrontation among the state institutions.
Opposition legislators agitated on not taking up the agenda of the private members’ day, and resuming the debate as the house reconvened with a delay of about an hour. But Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi ignored them and said it was decided to continue the debate.
Pakistan People’s Party’s Jamshed Dasti proposed putting Musharraf to the gallows for his alleged heinous crimes against the nation, calling for passing a unanimous resolution for the hanging of the ex-president.
He strongly opposed giving a safe exit to the former president and insisted if an elected prime minister could be hanged for no crime, why not a head of the state, who had trashed the Constitution twice and weakened all the state institutions.
PML-Q’s Attiya Inayatullah described the speeches made by the treasury lawmakers as imbalanced and said this way the supremacy of the house could not be ensured. She recalled the nation had heaved a sigh of relief when Musharraf had taken over on Oct 12, 1999 after sending an autocratic ruler home.
The lady lawmaker called for showing patience and forbearance to tackle the gigantic challenges the nation was faced with. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, while today is present, it is a gift to benefit from, she insisted.
She claimed Musharraf could have used 58-2(b), but he preferred not to push the country into further crisis and instability, and bowed out in a dignified manner. “For the first time, a military ruler became a political martyr,” she remarked.
The MNA threw a challenge to the government to reinstate the deposed judges within 24 hours and elect a new president without retaining 58-2(b). A PPP legislator Mehmud Hayat Toochi, ignoring federal Minister Khurshid Shah’s call for not speaking harsh against Musharraf, described the ex-president as Yazid and Hajjaj bin Yousuf of our times.
Referring to a recent sensational report, he said how could be he soft on a person who had assassinated his leader after warning her to support him; otherwise, he would not be responsible for her security.
Ghaus Bakhsh Mehr of PML-Q pointed out that in one way or the other some politicians had always extended a helping hand to the military rulers. He said after Musharraf’s exit, now the ruling coalition was responsible for law and order and improving the economy.
“What exactly is now the hurdle in the restoration of the deposed judges after the president has resigned,” he wondered. Sahibzada Fazal Karim of PML-N, who was the first speaker of the day, called for punishing the former president after his trial under Article 6 of the Constitution, accusing him of destroying Pakistan’s Islamic image. He called for putting him in Adiyala Jail.
He made mention of the last year’s Lal Masjid operation, killing of Nawaz Akbar Bugti and insisted he must be punished for these crimes. Haji Pervaiz Khan, another PML-N legislator, who was elected from Rawalpindi in bye-elections, greeted the nation on Musharraf’s ouster and asked why not a murder case be filed against him for killing so many innocent people.
Minority MNA of PML-Q Akram Masih praised Musharraf for giving rights to the minorities and restoring the joint electorate. Amid chants of shame, shame from the treasury benches, he said, “I salute Musharraf for his services to the nation”.
PML-Q’s Riaz Fatyana, Raza Hayat Harraj, Dr Daniyal Aziz and Bushra Rehman said huge challenges confronted the government and they could no more blame Musharraf. They offered cooperation to the government and asked for burying the past to focus on the nation-building.
PML-N Sa’ad Rafique gave credit of Musharraf’s downfall to politicians and the lawyers’ struggle and recalled how the former president had swung his fists in the National Assembly one day and today the same forum had forced him to bow out.
He warned against giving indemnity to Musharraf’s actions and claimed no lawmaker would risk invoking wrath of the nation. The lawmaker said many MNAs like him had on their bodies the scar of Musharraf’s rule.
If the ex-president was made to face a high treason trial, he contended, no adventurer would ever dare to derail democracy, insisting he should not be allowed to leave the country. He warned that this system could only survive if the judiciary was restored to the Nov 2, 2007 position.
Khurrum Dastgir of PML-N noted that the month of August was very important, as on 18th the establishment had been defeated in the shape of Musharraf’s resignation. He castigated Musharraf for his policies which, he alleged, kept the national economy hostage for nine years, proposing the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission to make the ex-president concede his actions from Kargil misadventure to the long list of disastrous actions.
M Usman Advocate from Balochistan said Pakistanis, particularly the people of his province, were very happy over the exit of Musharraf, who killed Bugti, jailed Akhtar Mengal and hundreds of others went missing during the last nine years.
He cautioned that if cruel generals like Musharraf were to be pardoned, Pakistan might not survive any longer, as providing safe exit to rulers such as Musharraf would encourage others to repeat the same in the future.
It was a point to ponder, he noted, that the people of Balochistan had already dissociated themselves from the state matters. He deplored presenting a guard of honour to Musharraf. The house will now resume on Wednesday at 5:00pm.
Furious MNAs demand Musharraf’s trial
