KARACHI, Sept 10: Through the deportation of former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, raids on the houses of political leaders, arrest of workers and restrictions put on the movement of people, the government had insulted the judiciary, violated the constitution and once again shaken the country’s foundation.
These views were shared by the leaders of many political parties with Dawn on Monday evening after the Pakistan Muslim League (N) chief Nawaz Sharif was deported to Saudi Arabia hours within his arrival at Islamabad airport.
They said the Supreme Court judgement allowing Mr Sharif’s return was another major setback for the president, whose earlier attempt to sack the chief justice had been ruled illegal with the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry earlier in July.
Condemning the government action, the leaders described it as a mockery of the rule of law and called for immediate notice by the Supreme Court so that in future no one could dare to repeat such mistakes.Sindh Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal President Maulana Asadullah Bhutto and Secretary-General Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro announced that Tuesday would be observed as a protest day across the province against the deportation of Mr Sharif and the use of state machinery to suppress the voice of dissent.
They said on the eve of Mr Sharif’s arrival, raids conducted on the houses of All-Parties Democratic Movement workers and their arrest was a confession by General Musharraf of his defeat. They said the deportation of Nawaz Sharif and arrests of the leaders and workers could not damage their struggle for democracy. Instead it would give a boost to the determination of people to rid off the military rule, they added.
Terming the deportation against the Supreme Court ruling and condemning the incident that took place in the High Court of Sindh, Professor Ghafoor Ahmad, a central leader of the MMA and deputy chief of Jamaat-i-Islami, said the government’s claims of honouring judiciary proved hollow. Its actions manifested how much the government had respect for the judgment of superior courts.
Maulana Omar Sadiq, deputy leader of opposition in Sindh Assembly, said Nawaz Sharif was elected prime minister of the country for two times and the government tactics to deport him showed that the days of present rulers were numbered. He said the incident had united the opposition further which had been pushed to a point from where a mass-scale movement would be launched against the government.
Mairaj Muhammad Khan, a veteran leader of opposition, said that time had come for all democratic forces to rise against the military rulers and launch a movement to bring them to the court of law.
Yusuf Masti Khan, Secretary-General of the Pakistan Workers’ Party, said that leaders from smaller provinces had joined Nawaz Sharif as their last hope being the only civilian leader ever produced by Punjab.
He said the way he was deported and deprived of his inalienable right as a citizen to stay in his own country had shattered the confidence of smaller provinces once again about the future of country.
The government action, he said, had proved that the rulers neither believed in the rule of law nor in supremacy of the constitution and the judiciary. He said it was a manifestation of the apprehensions of people that Pakistan was being ruled on the dictates of the US that could grant permission for negotiations with the leaders of their choice as seen in the case of Benazir Bhutto.
Sindh Awami National Party Secretary-General Amin Khattak said the Supreme Court must take notice of the grave violation of its historic decision and take action against those responsible for trampling its sanctity.
