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ISLAMABAD: Nawaz Sharif threatened on Saturday to take the memo controversy to the Supreme Court if the government did not conduct an impartial inquiry into the matter.
“If the government does not carry out an impartial inquiry and ease the nation’s misgivings, the matter will definitely reach the Supreme Court. And we will take it (to the SC),” Mr Sharif said while talking to reporters after attending a religious function at Mandra, in the suburbs of Islamabad.
The PML-N chief alleged that Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf had the backing of secret agencies, asking Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to stop agencies from interfering in political affairs.
“Certainly, evidence is available that a particular political party is being supported by agencies. Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani should stop the agencies from interfering in political affairs. Otherwise, he (Gen Kayani) will also have to take the blame,” Mr Sharif said in reply to a question about the sudden surge in PTI’s popularity.
He reiterated his call for constitution of an independent commission to probe the memo controversy.
The demand for an inquiry has also come from other opposition parties after President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan’s Ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani denied sending any memo to former US army chief Admiral Mike Mullen allegedly seeking Washington’s support for the civilian set-up, avert a possible military coup and in return, assuring revamping of the country’s security leadership.
According to some legal and political experts, if proven guilty, both President Zardari and Ambassador Haqqani can even be tried under treason charges.
The PML-N chief vowed that his party would not let the government put the memo issue under the carpet, asking it to complete investigation within 10 days. Mr Sharif said the proposed inquiry commission should comprise people of integrity like Justice (retd) Fakharuddin G. Ebrahim.
“It will be better if the inquiry is held through parliament and a parliamentary committee is formed.”
He regretted the government had put the inquiry into the Abbottabad incident in cold storage.
Mr Sharif said President Zardari could have saved the PPP-led coalition government embarrassment by acting upon the Charter of Democracy. He said the government did not have the courage to present the defence budget before parliament.
The former prime minister once again called for the trial of Gen Pervez Musharraf, saying if prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto could be hanged why Gen Musharraf could not be tried. “The dictator should not be spared only because of his previous position in Army.”
In reply to a question, the PML-N chief said his party was not scared of the Senate elections. The Senate polls should be held in time because his party wanted continuity of the democratic process.
He said the composition of provincial assemblies belied the belief that the People’s Party would have a smooth sailing after Senate elections in March.Mr Sharif criticised media bodies for not raising the killings of journalists Saleem Shehzad and Wali Khan Babar.
