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ISLAMABAD: The chief of All Pakistan Muslim League, retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, welcomed on Sunday the Punjabi Taliban’s decision of giving up armed struggle in the country.
“Ending terrorist activities by Punjabi Taliban is a welcome decision and a victory of the armed forces of Pakistan,” the former president, who is at present in Karachi, said in a statement issued by the APML’s central secretariat here.
Tehreek-i-Taliban Punjab chief Asmatullah Muawiya announced on Saturday that his group had decided to abandon its armed struggle and instead would focus on ‘peaceful struggle’ for the enforcement of Sharia in the country.
Mr Musharraf expressed the hope that with restoration of peace in the country, economy would stabilise and investment would increase manifold.
He said the government should strengthen the hands of the armed forces, adding that instead of using state institutions to meet political design rulers should take such steps which would pave the way for political stability in the country.
Referring to the Model Town tragedy, he said it did not suit any government to be violent against peaceful and unarmed demonstrators.
The former president condemned the government for detaining supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek and termed it an ‘undemocratic’ act.
Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2014
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Comments (32) Closed
Sep 15, 2014 06:35am
Musharaff sir , we want you back
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Sep 15, 2014 06:44am
General Sahab we miss your leadership. Pakistan was better place under your leadership.
May Allah bless you
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Sep 15, 2014 06:57am
A peaceful struggle is unacceptable too. What is acceptable is if they shut their mouths and follow the rule of law.
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Sep 15, 2014 07:21am
I wanna see I.K and PM as Prime Minister and President respectively
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Sep 15, 2014 07:26am
General sahab we miss you. We want to see you in power again.
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Sep 15, 2014 07:40am
Musharaf first supported those mullahs to send youth in the state sponsored jihad in kashmir and afghanistan.Then he took a u-turn and stopped the training camps without any planning to divert the youth from madrassahs. He let Ghazi brothers bring weapons under his nose and then he killed women and children in the mosque. Those people who were killed in Lal masjid massacre were sometime before hailed as jihadis by the state and then the state took a U-TURN. The youth was labelled terrorists b/c suddenly the state decided to discard Zia's theory of islam and took up musharaf's Enlightened moderation. Instead of educating, counselling or giving them a source of livelihood musharaf used force. TTP was created after the operation and all the suicide bombings and thousands of deaths in Pakistan afterwords are all due to musharaf's bad decisions. NOW HE IS LECTURING US ON MODEL TOWN TRAGEDY. What about karachi massacre where lawyers were burnt alive?
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Sep 15, 2014 08:03am
Mr. Musharraf...please keep out of politics...you are not cut for politics of the day...treat that as a compliment and not as sarcasm...
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Sep 15, 2014 08:23am
They are trying to convince military and ISI that they will no longer fight against it but will follow the agenda of the military and ISI and fight the infidels across the border.
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Sep 15, 2014 08:29am
When in power - In his speech to the nation, a stern but relaxed-looking Musharraf declared the time had come for madrassas to include math, science and English classes in their curriculum. The changes, he vowed, would enable madrassa students to compete for university seats and jobs in a new, improved Pakistan that would have no patience for religious extremism. ( He should have added that the madrassas MUST be co-educational.)
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Sep 15, 2014 08:46am
The word "Peaceful" has become dirty word. Peaceful Protest, Peaceful Demonstration, Peaceful Dharna, Peaceful March to Parliament House, Peaceful March to Prime Minister's House, Peaceful Blocking of Roads and Streets near the seat of Government in Islamabad, Peaceful Threat and intimidation, Peaceful Beating of Police Men and the list will go on and on.
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Sep 15, 2014 08:56am
These are proxies. Militancy tap 'announced' to be closed/reduced for the time being .... but tap is a tap and it which keeps on opening and closing!
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Sep 15, 2014 08:59am
Any type of Taliban, either good or bad, must be brought to justice. The statement of giving up armed struggle by Mauwaiya is based on hypocracy. These terrorists can never be peaceful. They must be arrested.
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Sep 15, 2014 09:40am
A sensible or tactical move by this group but they must surrender to the Pak: authrities /forces, investigated for truth & past crimes amnesty or otherwise may follow. Musharraf sb country needs your leadership & sincerity to pull us out of the present chaos non-NRO politicians should of course be main players of this salvage team. Thanks
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Sep 15, 2014 09:47am
But the Punjab Taliban demand is Sharia and still they have blood on their hands.
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Sep 15, 2014 09:59am
And you do you know the a.b.c of democracy , while condeming the cracking as undemocratic
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Sep 15, 2014 10:07am
If General Musharraf (rtd) makes a comment welcoming the Punjabi Taliban's decision, then it must be genuine and no caveats are required. When are you advising the new GoP on how to suffuse Pakistan with education and good governance? Salams
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Sep 15, 2014 10:43am
In my opinion, this should be commendable if the surrendered party and "to-be" parties in future face the justice by going through the judicial process. There have been many many actions by these outlaws, "stateless" actors who brought the miseries to common men of this homeland.
This seems sneaking through the back door, and trying to avoid the justice what they had been doing in last decades, such as killings, ransoms, looting, and trying to imposing their own way of life on innocent people.
The whole area has been destroyed and rehabilitation of IDP(s) is in-progress. Who is responsible for this mess-up, this nation is sacrificing their earnest living, efforts and resources to build the nation again and again in last decades and so.
No mercy to these people in this way. They should be punished whatever they did during their outlaws days with their supporters and well wishers. This process should be started with swift justice from the person who surrenders to the Pakistani state.
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Sep 15, 2014 10:57am
Gen Musharraf will be always be remembered for the reforms he could have done and did not do when he had the absolute power to do it. In the end, he left the nation at the mercy of Zardari and it was back to square one. Today, 14 years after Musharraf came in power we are worst than we were in 1999. Sir, I am sorry but you have let the nation down.
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Sep 15, 2014 11:07am
You are dearly missed. Stay blessed!
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Sep 15, 2014 11:09am
Even IK mentioned in his recent address at the rally that Musharraf was a better leader.
He should come back.
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Sep 15, 2014 11:22am
Ripe time for Musharraf, Hameed Gul and Pasha to formally join PTI. Thanks to TUQ sermons the Punjabi Taliban have given up militancy.
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Sep 15, 2014 11:26am
Why a convict is allowed to release political statements? and why is our media reporting it?
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Sep 15, 2014 11:29am
@Tiger I will stop supporting IK then... because I support IK due to his stance on drone attacks, not bowing before West and guide us getting rid of corrupt leaders. Mushi on the other hand is The reason for drone attacks, gave up country's sovereignty on one phone call and signed NRO to benefit Nawaz, Altaf and Zardari. That would be a dark day in Pakistan.
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Sep 15, 2014 11:35am
sir , you are writing wrong general sahab name. Please note correct name. General Parvez Musharaf (Retired). not gen ( retd) parvez musharaf. hope you would not mind it!
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Sep 15, 2014 11:42am
true and sincere leader of pakistan. :)
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Sep 15, 2014 11:59am
Yes, Musharraf ke sajde American congress mein kafi yaad kiye ja rahen hain. Ab ki baar aaya toh Pakistani awaam ko drone ka Baap de kar jayega.
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Sep 15, 2014 12:32pm
If there was one person who could lead us all to glory, it was Musharraf, the person worthy of representing us everywhere in the world.
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Sep 15, 2014 12:47pm
@Ahmed k 100% true.
A case should have been registered against him then.
The Chaudhrys, Qadri, Imran, Sheikh Rashid etc were not shouting at the top of their voices during his rein for Democracy and FIR's then. As they all benefited from positions of the government.
Whern Musharraf came to power Pakistan had a debt of around $30 Billion.
During the war on terror he stated Pakistan got $30 Billion for their efforts to help America.
Any true leader would have told them to use that $30 Billion to pay of Pakistans debt, but no instead when he left Pakistan had a debt of $60 Billion.
So where did those $60 Billion go, $30 Billion from America and the other $30 Billion he put on Pakistans debt?
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Sep 15, 2014 01:44pm
@Ahmed k Aww, look another Taliban sympathiser. We heard this before, your brothers and you are not getting any sympathy anymore. Your mindset has done enough damage already.
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Sep 15, 2014 04:52pm
He was honest and hardworking President in the history of Pakistan. In his time country was well respected in the world. He was betrayed by some of his ministers. The lawyers of Pakistan are to be blamed for his resignation. Now where are these thugs? It appears that you all are afraid of Shariff family or you have been awarded some big contracts. Shame on all of you. You are responsible for destroying our beautiful country.
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Sep 15, 2014 04:55pm
We want you Back Sir
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Sep 16, 2014 01:31pm
U-turn is non-sense. All the steps taken by Musharraf were in the best interest of the country. He maintained a stable economy.
The dollar rate was lower. at 62. He focussed on the problems of poor more than the so -called 'democratically elected governments which followed the path of self aggrandizement He arrested the Kana CJ, which has been proven to be a crook. The list of good work done by Musharraf goes on . He should be brought back to send the Sharif Brothers back to SA. Good riddance!. Pakistan needs progress like China. So- called Democracy is a luxury for politicians; torture for the common man.
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