Islamabad, August 10: Demanding that Pervez Musharraf be tried for treason, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has said the government should play its role in the light of the Supreme Court’s verdict on the former President’s actions to end the military’s interference in Pakistan’s political set-up.
In his first comments on the recent Supreme Court judgement on Musharraf, Sharif said “several dictators had hijacked Pakistan because none of them had been tried in the past.”
He said the court verdict on July 31 was “historic” as it had declared Musharraf’s action as “unconstitutional.”
Addressing a gathering of PML-N workers in Dubai yesterday, Sharif urged the government to play its role in the light of the apex court’s decision to end the military’s interference in Pakistan’s political set-up once and for all.
“Otherwise, the masses can force the government to make decisions according to their whims just as they played their role for the restoration of the judiciary,” Sharif said, referring to the movement launched by the lawyers’ movement and the PML-N that forced the government to restore judges deposed by Musharraf.
He also criticised Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s recent statment that Musharraf can be tried for treason only if parliament passes a unanimous resolution on the issue, saying it amounted to defending the former ruler’s actions.
The SC verdict has raised the possibility of Musharraf being tried for treason. However, only the government can initiate such a trial.
Sharif said the conditions being attached by the government had created an impression that it was defending Musharraf’s actions and protecting him.
The government did not need any sort of resolution for Musharraf’s trial as the former military ruler “committed the crime of abrogating the constitution in front of the whole world and the 160 million people of Pakistan”, he said.
Sharif urged the government to ensure Musharraf’s trials by presenting his wrongdoings before parliament.
Sharif also said it was unfortunate that the Pakistan People’s Party-led government had not initiated steps to remove the remnants of Musharraf’s dictatorship.
He said the PML-N would support the government on constitutional reforms and that the party did not want any unconstitutional change in the political and democratic set-up.
“We want the government to complete its tenure. We will not allow it to go astray,” he said, adding that the PML-N would extend support to the PPP on the basis of its reforms.
Sharif also said the PML-N was not interested in becoming part of “unproductive committees” set up by the government, which had a policy of over-complicating issues facing the country.
–Agencies