September 10, 2007	Monday	Sha'aban 27, 1428

SWABI, Sept 9: Former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Gul has said that the government should allow former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif to return in light of the apex court’s verdict.

Addressing students here on Sunday at the Madrassah Darul Quran Panjpir and later talking to journalists, he said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf must step down without delay in the best interest of the country. He described the independence of the Supreme Court as a big change, the subtlety of which could not be understood by Gen Musharraf.

He said that Nawaz Sharif might be sent to Murree or confined at Rawind but even then he should come back.

He said that Gen Musharraf might not allow Mr Sharif’s plane to land at the Islamabad airport in the same way Mr Sharif had not allowed Gen Musharraf’s aircraft to land in Karachi in October 1999.

He said that martial law was a ‘technical option’ which should be avoided under all circumstances as it would not be in the interest of the country and the masses. “Anyone who imposes a martial law would become its victim,” he predicted.

Gen Musharraf was no longer needed by the country, he claimed, since the US wanted to ‘destabilize’ Pakistan through him. “He should leave immediately,” he said, adding: “If President Musharraf does not relinquish power, then Pakistan would be destabilised even further.”

He said the army commanders could not advice Gen Musharraf to resign because there was great discipline in the armed forces and also because he was their Commander in Chief. “President Musharraf has been using the armed forces for prolonging his rule,” he alleged.

“I think it is the moral and political duty of the Muslim League-Q leaders to tell Gen Musharraf that he should quit since he is no longer acceptable to people.”

He supported the All Pakistan Democratic Movement, saying that an alliance could make a movement strong in such a scenario. He told the madrassah students that the Muslims had already won the war against the only superpower of the world.

He said that America and its alliance were against Islam and had used all available options to harm the religion.

They wanted to create chaos in the ranks of the Muslim world. “However, the US is on the verge of accepting defeat at the hands of Muslims,” he said.