ISLAMABAD, Dec 8: Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and former National Assembly speaker Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, presently serving sentence in Adiyala Jail, have no regrets whatsoever over the "crimes" they have committed.
Talking to Dawn for the first time after their conviction at a room adjacent to the office of the jail superintendent, the two leaders belonging to arch political rival parties of the past from Multan, categorically stated that they would not tender any apology to President Gen Musharraf, as advised by some of their old friends, now in the ruling coalition.
Mr Hashmi, who is also the acting president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N and serving 23-year imprisonment on treason charges, even said that he did not want to come out of the jail believing that his release at this time could damage the ongoing opposition's struggle for restoration of democracy.
"At a time, when Asif Zardari has already been granted bail and there are talks about so-called reconciliation, my release will definitely harm the struggle," he said. Mr Hashmi predicted that the next four to five months were very crucial for Pakistani politics and that he could easily wait for a proper time to come out of the jail.
"If I can spend 14 months in jail, I can easily wait for another few months as going to jail is not a new thing for me," he added. "This is my 10th arrest only during Gen Musharraf's tenure," he said.
Similarly, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and former speaker Yousuf Raza Gillani said he had refused a direct offer made by Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to him to extend his parole when he was in Multan to attend the funeral of his mother. He said the chief minister even asked him to tender an apology to Gen Musharraf and the case against him would be withdrawn.
Both the leaders termed the reports of any deal for their release as part of the government's propaganda. "Obviously, the government does not want to see us come out of the jail as mortars. Therefore, it wants to dilute the situation and given an impression that we have come out due to its kindness," Mr Gillani added.
"I am not a person, who like many others has entered political arena keeping in mind only the ministries, perks and privileges," Mr Hashmi said, adding he had been sent behind the bars so many times that now even their family life was not affected at all. He said that he was first time arrested during the Ayub Khan's martial law and that time he was in class 8.
Mr Hashmi said the jail provided him an excellent opportunity to write a book on the country's political scenario. He said that he had already completed the book and it was ready to be sent for printing.
Giving a brief introduction of the book, titled Haan, Main Baghi Hoon (Yes, I am a rebel), Mr Hashmi said it mostly focussed on proceedings of the jail trial against him in the treason case. He said there was a very little portion of the book about his personal life.
He said he had no personal enmity with Gen Musharraf and was not opposing him because he had ousted the PML-N government. The ARD president said that he believed that even Gen Ziauddin, who was made army chief by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif after sacking Gen Musharraf, could dismiss the PML-N government as he represented an institution.
"I am a rebel to the (present) system. I have great regard for the armed forces but at the same time I am against the military's interference in the political affairs," he maintained.
Mr Hashmi also showed a four-page letter, he received recently from his party chief Nawaz Sharif for inclusion in his book and read complete text of the letter, in which Mr Sharif had paid tributes to Mr Hashmi for his sacrifices for the cause of democracy. "The nation, the party and the workers are proud of Javed Hashmi, and I am also proud of you Javed Hashmi," writes Mr Sharif from Jeddah.
Another important aspect of Mr Hashmi's book is that it contains edited text of the speeches delivered by him on the floor of the National Assembly from 1985 to 2002. He also narrated the ordeal he had to undergo after his arrest from the Parliament Lodges on October 29, 2003.
The PML-N leader alleged that he was "tortured" by the personnel of "intelligence agencies", though they were wearing Islamabad police uniform, he could easily differentiate the "torture style" of the police and the intelligence agencies.
The PML-N leader said he had facilities like TV and newspapers in the jail but he had been kept in the solitary confinement for the past 14 months. Interestingly, he said, that he had been kept in a cell, which was specially constructed by Nawaz Sharif for keeping Benazir Bhutto and Nahid Khan.
He also showed the location of his cell with the help of a map drawn on a wall of the room. He said watching PTV was perhaps part of his punishment as he had not been given the choice to see other private channels.