October 27, 2007	Saturday	Shawwal 14, 1428

LAHORE, Oct 26: Aitzaz Ahsan, one of the candidates for the presidential slot of the Supreme Court Bar Association, has said the present assemblies and Gen Pervez Musharraf could not participate in the presidential election according to the constitution.

At a reception arranged in his honour by the SCBA here, Aitzaz said Musharraf could not take oath for becoming president for the third time because of a constitutional bar.

“He took oath for the first time on June 2, 2001 after dismissing President Rafique Tarar and the second one after holding the referendum,” he said. He added that the present assemblies would expire on Nov 15, thus losing any justification for electing a president who would remain in power for the next five years.

Aitzaz said the judges told him how could they give a decision against Gen Musharraf unless there was a street movement against him.

He quoted Gen Musharraf’s lawyers as saying that he would take off the uniform as soon as he was elected the president. “It’s similar to a proposition where a non-Muslim pledges to embrace Islam after getting elected president of Pakistan”.

He said the army could not place the country under a martial law because it was exhausted. “Some hundred thousand troops were engaged in Waziristan and a similar strength of the forces had been deployed on the country’s borders.

“They neither have the will nor the capacity to impose martial law,” he said.

Aitzaz said after Nov 16, the Supreme Court could not allow Gen Musharraf to stay in uniform. “The army officers do not go to their offices in uniform. The leave their homes in civil dress and wear their uniforms when they reach their offices”, he said.

He said the Supreme Court told Qazi Husain Ahmad and Imran Khan that Musharraf’s candidature did not take away their rights and decided in favour of Musharraf. “Now when Justice Wajih, after being a candidate in the presidential election, had challenged Gen Musharraf’s candidature, he was being asked why did he contest the polls”, he said.—Reporter