KARACHI, April 19: Former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif vowed to restore the 1973 Constitution, genuine democratic dispensation and rule of law in the country if provided another opportunity. He said this in a brief telephonic address at the launching of Makhdoom Javed Hashmi’s book ‘Haan main baaghi hoon’ at a local hotel on Tuesday

The former prime minister paid tributes to Javed Hashmi for his courageous and selfless stand and said that like always he had generated a new spirit of self confidence and courage after Oct 12, when his government was toppled in a military takeover.

He said that Mr Hashmi would remain a beacon for all those who struggled for their rights, rule of law and democracy. Mr Sharif also paid tributes to those judges of the superior court who had refused to take oath under the PCO. He pledged to restore these judges back when his party returned to power.

He asked the people of Pakistan to remain vigilant of those who were harming the country through usurpation and denial of rights and justice to the people.

In hard-hitting speeches, the military led regime, the validation of military intervention, and the right of General Pervez Musharraf to amend the constitution was severely criticised.

Former chief justice of Pakistan, who refused to take oath under PCO, Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui referred to the general impression that courts in such cases, in which the government of the day was a party, were unable to give judgments, which could vindicate the rule of law.

He said the establishment of special courts had further deepened this feeling among people, who thought it was a ploy to harass the opposition.

He, therefore, suggested that in order to remove these impressions, the powers of these courts should be drastically curtailed and matters resolved through the regular judicial system, so that confidence of the people was reinforced in the courts.

Justice Siddiqui also dealt with the book’s contents and paid tributes to Javed Hashmi for his honest assessment of the role of leaders other than Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, which included Gandhi, Nehru, the Ali brothers and Bacha Khan.

Referring to Javed Hashmi’s assessment of the 1965 war and the allegedly flawed strategy, Justice Siddqui said it indicated that when military leaderships took decisions about the republic, it did not lead to positive outcomes. He praised Hashmi for his account of his visit to the former East Pakistan in Oct 1971.

Earlier, MNA Maimoona Hashmi, the daughter of Javed Hashmi, said Pakistan was at the crossroads and most difficult juncture of its history, because those who were assigned the task of defending the country’s frontiers had usurped it. She said there were people despite the very fact who still chose the difficult path of defiance and resistance to uphold the rule of law and cause of democracy.

She alleged that military rulers had always plunged the country into difficulty, and same was the case now. She stressed that it was now time that the people of Pakistan forever decided against the military’s involvement in politics.

She made it clear that those who were negotiating with Gen Musharraf to strike a deal would be betraying 140 million people of the country.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said whatever Javed Hashmi had read out in a news conference, and which was made the basis for him being sent to prison for 23 years, was also being said by people in and outside the parliament.

He also accused the regime for flouting the sanctity of uniform and oath under the 1973 constitution, while questioning the judiciary’s wisdom in according Gen Pervez Musharraf the right to amend the constitution, when it did not posses the right.

He also refused Gen Musharraf’s policy of accommodation with India over Kashmir and said such issues must be debated in the parliament and its decision should be supreme.

Former Sindh governor Mamnoon Hussain, Nehal Hashmi, Rasool Bux Palejo, Syed Munawwar Hasan and Mushaidullah also spoke on the occasion and lashed out at government policies.