Summary PPP blasts PML-N for permitting Musharraf to leave Pakistan.
Dunya News Report (Yaruq Malik)
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) protested against the Nawaz Sharif led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for permitting the former military dictator, General (Rtd) Pervez Musharraf to leave Pakistan for a medical checkup in Dubai after his name was removed from the exit control list.
While protesting in front of the Lahore Press Club, PPP leaders accused the federal government of hypocrisy and immorality. The president of PPP Lahore, Samina Khalid Ghurki, alleged that the PM made a deal with the former president and helped him escape the multiple cases put up against him by the court of law.
“Nawaz Sharif has lost the moral high ground to stay prime minister of Pakistan, as he has helped a dictator flee the country. The PPP is protesting to expose the Nawaz-Musharraf deal,” she said.
Faisal Mir, the Secretary Information PPP Lahore, said that the PM has, allegedly, stabbed the country by letting a dictator leave Pakistan.
“The prime minister would be remembered as the most coward and hypocrite prime minister of Pakistan who always stabbed democracy and swerved as a stooge for dictators,” he said.
PPP Punjab’s General Secretary, Tanveer Ashraf Kaira demanded resignations of PML-N leaders who had claimed to ‘quit politics’ if any dictator was allowed to leave the country without a trial for high treason.
“People in Pakistan are waiting for resignations of all those ministers who used to claim that they will quit politics if Musharraf was allowed to leave the country,” Mr. Kaira said.
Moreover, General Musharraf’s departure to Dubai will further delay the Benazir Bhutto murder trial in which Musharraf stands as a prime suspect. Previously, the ATC removed former Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s name from the witnesses list in Benazir Bhutto murder case against General Pervez Musharraf. ATC Judge Mohammad Ayub Khan Marth recommenced proceedings of the trial when the prosecution notified the judge that Rehman Malik was not able to arrive to the court again. Moreover, the prosecution requested the court to advance with other witnesses as they were going to eliminate Rehman Malik’s name from the list of witnesses.
Rehman Malik was the head of Benazir Bhutto’s security when she was assassinated in December 2007 at Liaquat Baagh, Rawalpindi. He was also one of the prime witnesses that the prosecution has presented the ATC against General Musharraf. According to the prosecution, Rehman Malik claimed that he was present with Benazir Bhutto when General Musharraf threatened her at the Dubai meeting in 2007. Mr. Malik testified that General Musharraf told the former prime minister that her future depended on her relationship with him (Musharraf).
General Pervez Musharraf was acquitted in the murder case of former Baloch activist Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti by the anti-terrorism court in Quetta. The former dictator was indicted in the murder case back in January, 2015. The court also rejected the request of Nawabzada Jamil Akbar Bugti, son of late Bugti, to allow an exhumation of the body of Bugti who is buried in Dera Bugti.
Furthermore, American journalist, Mark Siegal claimed that he was present with the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto when she received a threatening call from Musharraf, warning her not to come back to Pakistan.
The journalist also mentioned his conversation with Benazir where she had claimed that President Musharraf refused her request of hiring foreign security teams for her security which eventually lead to her assassination in 2007.
The former president rejected the statements made by journalist Mark Siegal and called the statements ‘a pack of lies’.
Mark Siegal recorded his statement for the ATC on January 20th via video link from USA.
Musharraf’s lawyer, Advocate Faisal Hussain, stated that the former president is not feeling well and it would be difficult for him to appear before the court any time soon due to which he would record his statement through a video link and the prosecution might cross-examine him accordingly.
