KOHAT, May 16: Former senator and member of Pakistan People’s Party central executive committee, Barrister Syed Masood Kausar, has urged the government to involve all the heads of the major political parties in the dialogue going on over the Pakistan- India relationship so the future agreements become acceptable to everyone and for a long period.
Talking to Dawn here on Thursday, the former speaker of the NWFP assembly expressed reservations over the government invitation to the PPP chair-person Benazir Bhutto to come back and face the courts after which she would be free.
He said in the way the government had inducted ministers from disgruntled groups of the two major political parties — Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League — against whom several cases had been pending in the courts the offer to Ms Benazir to face these courts in no way could be trusted.
Citing the example of Asif Ali Zardari, he pointed out that for the last many years he had been in jail but trial in even a single case against him was yet to begin which speaks volumes about the judiciary under the present rulers.
He said Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali should be allowed to use his authority while making any decision regarding the Constitution, about the fate of politicians which he had promised he would not victimize them rather invite them to the country and his say in the appointments military top brass and the judges of the superior courts.
Answering a question he said politicians feared that talks between India and Pakistan would again stop as had been the practice in the past due to vested interests. “Now Gen Pervez Musharraf is starting from the same point where Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif were forced to leave the process and their governments were toppled on flimsy charges.
For a permanent solution of problems between Pakistan and India including the core issue of Kashmir the decision-making power should rest with the politicians and their heads in the foreign countries to ensure that no military rulers can sabotage the talks once again,” he remarked.
He said the PPP wanted full restoration of the 1973 Constitution in its original form and the government minus Musharraf in uniform before thinking about any deal. He said it was a mere excuse that the situation in the region demanded a man in uniform to run the affairs of the country.
In this context the fate of the military ruler like Saddam Hussain should be an eye opener for the people, Mr Kausar said and added that the aftermath of the present political crises in the country would not be different from that of Baghdad.