LAHORE, Aug 10: Pakistan People’s Party veteran leader Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar has said fair elections were not possible as long as Gen Pervez Musharraf was in power.
Speaking as the chief guest at a seminar on `Emerging Political Scenario’ organised by the Pakistan Thinkers’ Forum here on Friday evening, he said the general had no moral or legal justification for ruling the country because he had become president through a bogus referendum after overthrowing and humiliating his `benefactor’ Mian Nawaz Sharif. He alleged Gen Musharraf ruled the country for eight years merely because of the support of a super power and his army uniform.
Khar said he was opposing the ‘deal’ between the PPP chairperson and Gen Musharraf because Benazir was like a daughter to him and he wanted to save her from, what he called, political suicide.
He said the nation wanted the general to quit and would not accept him with or without uniform.
Referring to Ms Bhutto’s contention that through the deal she wanted to give the general a safe passage, he said that the passage should not lead to the presidency.
He said there was no justification for the re-election of Gen Musharraf because he had not only failed to produce new leadership but also to combat terrorism and dispense with provincialism during his eight years in the office.
He said Akbar Bugti’s `murder’ had shaken the confidence of the small provinces. He said the dissatisfied members of the Q League had already started deserting the party and were joining the PPP after the reports of its deal with Musharraf.
He said Pervez Musharraf had tried to suppress the political workers like all the other generals coming in power in Pakistan but his efforts had received a setback when the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry set a new tradition by defying his orders to submit resignation. The general should have resigned after the restoration of the CJP by the Supreme Court, he added.
Senior journalist Mujibur Rehman Shami said President Musharraf had lost control over power and could not have his way anymore.
He said the government had failed to declare a state of emergency in the country due to the fear of Supreme Court and because the US had asked it to ensure holding of transparent elections in the country.
He said the issue of holding the presidential election before the general ones had surfaced due to the 17th constitutional amendment. He said usurping the right of the future assemblies to elect the president and giving it to the existing ones would have negative effects, adding such a bid could either be thwarted by the Supreme Court or the opposition could put up a candidate against Gen Musharraf.
He said Gen Musharraf was insisting on re-election as president in uniform because if he doffed the uniform he could not contest election for two years under the constitution. He had secured the right to remain in uniform through an act of parliament and not under the constitution, he added
PPP leader Syeda Abida Hussain said the general could not seek re-election on the basis of his performance during the past eight years but self-seeker and corrupt politicians flanking him wanted him to remain in power by hook or crook. She said there was no harm in providing a safe passage to Musharraf.
Pakistan Thinkers’ Forum Chairman Shahid Hamid said Gen Musharraf wanted re-election through the existing assemblies because he could bag 400 votes out of 702. The new assemblies could elect the president only if the present one were dissolved and general elections held, he added.
He said the president also wanted re-election through present assemblies because of a dispute over his uniform. He wanted re-election between September 15 and November because he could remain in uniform till November 15, he said.