ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: Refuting the allegation against ARD president and PML-N’s acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, the PML-N said on Friday “actually Gen Pervez Musharraf is responsible for defaming and insulting the army.”

Through a resolution, passed at a joint meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee and the parliamentary group, the PML-N leaders said “by requisitioning the army for prolonging his personal rule and serving foreign interests and demands, he (Gen Musharraf) had made the institution of armed forces and their character extremely controversial.”

The resolution said Gen Musharraf had “denigrated” the army in the eyes of people by involving it in politics. “Moreover, by keeping NAB away from investigating corruption of military officers, Gen Musharraf strengthened the popular perception of high-level corruption in the armed forces, which further led to the disrepute of the army.

“The statements made in the anonymous letter ‘to national leaders’ seemed mostly correct, because the facts related therein have already appeared in public,” the resolution said.

The meeting, presided over by PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, was told that “the issues of kickbacks in arms purchase and corruption of military officers” had been raised in courts and discussed in national as well as international media.

The PML-N leaders demanded formation of a judicial commission to investigate reasons and objectives of the Kargil war and said the commission should comprise chief justices of Supreme Court and the four high courts, who were in office on Oct 12, 1999. The commission should submit its recommendations within two months, they said.

The PML-N leaders said Gen Musharraf should be tried under Article 6 for toppling an elected government, suspending the Constitution and arbitrarily amending it.

The party termed the arrest of Mr Hashmi a “blatant violation of the Constitution, democratic traditions and human rights”, and demanded his immediate release.

They demanded withdrawal of the “baseless” case against their leader and condemned the “political use of ISI personnel for the arrest”.

They said the arrest of Mr Hashmi at the Parliament Lodges amounted to “contempt of parliament” and, therefore, the personnel involved in this act must be prosecuted. This act was a proof that Gen Musharraf had imposed a martial law.