General ‘Tablanawaz’ Musharraf who is hiding in the UK, is now trying to drag others into the scene to defend his illegal actions of Nov 2007, but is facing complete isolation.
Shaukat disowns Musharraf’s claims on emergency
ISLAMABAD: **Former prime minister Shaukat Aziz has conveyed to a credible source that he neither advised Musharraf nor had taken part in any consultation process that led to the ousted dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf’s decision to abrogate the Constitution on Nov 3, 2007.
**
The source, whom the former prime minister met in the recent past in New York, said Shaukat Aziz simply belied Musharraf’s claim that his Nov 3, 2007 unconstitutional action of removing 60 judges of the superior judiciary was the outcome of his meetings with the then-prime minister Shaukat Aziz and others.
Shaukat Aziz was in New York to attend the wedding of the daughter of Dr Buniyad Haider, and his wife Shama, who is the sister of a close aide of President Zardari. Dr Haider lives in New Jersey and Benazir Bhutto used to stay at his house while visiting the US during her days in exile.
On Nov 7, Shaukat told the source, the government was busy preparing to pack up as it was to complete its tenure on Nov 15, owing to which no discussion had taken place between Musharraf and him (Shaukat Aziz) on the issue. Formally advising Musharraf to abrogate the Constitution was simply out of the question for Shaukat Aziz, who served as the prime minister under Musharraf for almost three years.
Shaukat Aziz, according to the source, was of the view that Musharraf abrogated the Constitution on Nov 3 in his capacity as the Chief of the Army Staff and not as the president of Pakistan; therefore, there was no reason for him to seek any politician’s advice under the Constitution.
Shaukat Aziz did not contest the Feb 18 election and had already left Pakistan after the PML-Q politely conveyed to him that he would not be allotted a party ticket. Musharraf had planned to bet on Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, the former chief minister of the Punjab, as the next prime minister but the king’s party faced a crushing defeat in the last year general elections.
Musharraf, who himself has admitted that his Nov 3, 2007 action was unconstitutional, becomes vulnerable to be tried for high treason under Article 6 of the Constitution.
The Nov 3, 2007 PCO, which borne the signature of Gen Pervez Musharraf, claimed: “And whereas the situation has been reviewed in meetings with the prime minister, governors of all the four provinces, and with the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, chiefs of armed forces, vice chief of Army staff and corps commanders of the Pakistan Army; now, therefore, in pursuance of the deliberations and decisions of the said meetings, I, General Pervez Musharraf, Chief of the Army Staff, proclaim emergency throughout Pakistan. 2) I, hereby, order and proclaim that the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall remain in abeyance. This proclamation shall come into force at once.”
Musharraf’s PCO clearly said that he took the unconstitutional decision in pursuance of the “deliberations and decisions” of his meetings with the then-prime minister, provincial governors and military’s top command.** Shaukat Aziz’s claim simply contradicts and belies Musharraf’s claim **whereas the presidency under Asif Zardari, too, has not got as yet anything in writing to substantiate what Musharraf had claimed and to ascertain that he was really advised by any authority to abrogate the Constitution.
It is generally believed that if booked under high treason charges, Musharraf may try to drag others too in the case. However, it would be the government’s decision whether or not to name anyone else in the case and that, too, on the basis of available documentary evidence, which so far goes only against Musharraf.