August 27, 2007	Monday	Sha’aban 13, 1428

MULTAN, Aug 26: Former president Mohammad Rafiq Tarar said on Sunday that an ‘unconstitutional president’ could not withdraw the remission of sentence granted to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif by an elected president.

Talking to journalists at the residence of PML-N acting-president Javed Hashmi in the Makhdoom Rasheed village, Mr Tarar said that although Gen Musharraf had advised him to give remission to Nawaz Sharif, he granted it due to the poor health of the former prime minister.

The former president visited the village along with PML-N leaders Raja Zaffarul Haq, Iqbal Zaffar Jhagra, Ahsan Iqbal and others to condole the death of Mukhtar Hashmi, younger brother of Javed Hashmi.

He said that some army generals had suggested that Nawaz Sharif should address Gen Musharraf in his application for remission, but “he (Nawaz) had rejected it and addressed me (Tarar) in the application.”

He said that according to Article 44 of Constitution, the office of the president was for five years and he would remain president until his successor was elected.