Legal blow to ex-president Musharraf’s poll hopes
lahore — Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday withdrew a conditional permission earlier granted to former president Pervez Musharraf to contest the upcoming general election after his counsel informed the court that the former military chief was unable to return to the country on Thursday.
A four-member bench of the apex court heard the case pertaining to Musharraf’s return. He requested more time to return to the country, however, the court refused to entertain his requests after granting a day-long extension in the June 13 deadline, Geo News reported.
We will request them to set a date after Eid Al Fitr. If they agree, Musharraf will return. Mohammad Amjad Chaudhry, party official
“Musharraf wants to return to the country but cannot owing to the current situation and Eid holidays,” his counsel told the bench during the hearing of a case filed by the former President in 2015 against the rejection of his nomination papers in the 2013 general election. —
I have to weigh all the pros and cons and then take a decision. All this has to be done in a few days and at the moment, I have not fully decided either way.”
Now the SC has passed a judgement where they have ordered that nobody will validate a military takeover. And if any judge validates, he will also be liable.”
Imran Khan has good qualities and therefore I think he is better than Asif Zardari and Nawaz. I think he is an honest man.”
Pervez Musharraf,
ex-president of Pakistan asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com (The interview was done hours before the Pakistan Supreme Court barred Musharraf from contesting elections)
dubai to — contest From his polls indecision despite to court return orders, the next to government, who is best slotted Pervez to Musharraf, make chief of ex-president army staff, of in Pakistan a candid and and exclusive opens up on chat a range with of Khaleej matters. Times He talks Pakistan about politics, various General issues, Asad including Durrani writing a book with the enemy and Reham Khan’s upcoming book.
When are you going back? Now that the court has assured that you will not be arrested. That’s a million dollar question. I have to weigh all the pros and cons and then take a decision. All this has to be done in a few days and at the moment, I have not fully decided either way.
But the court has been very lenient on you. They have even extended the deadline. Are you still indecisive? I have to be free to travel and there are a number of other issues which were taken up with the court for which I haven’t got a response. Main thing being my travelling inside and outside the country. There is a precedent of Nawaz Sharif. He is travelling all over the world. And then my life ban, if Khawaja Asif ’s ban can be removed, then why not me?
So was blocking of your passport/ID a political vendetta? Do you have a second passport? No I don’t. And certainly they have a vendetta. It is the previous government that started this and they are taking the clue from a judgement passed by Article 6 by special court. The head of that court was biased — and he is accused himself — he is no more there. So how can his order be implemented? Other than that, I don’t have my passport, but I know my standing. Whatever they do let them try.
But the elections are coming up and you’ve already submitted your nomination papers. If you will not be travelling in time, how will you be campaigning for the elections? This is an important question but I see it from another angle. Do you think that being the president of Pakistan, COAS for nine or 10 years, I am going to go and sit in the assembly? I have no ambitions, least of all becoming an MNA and sitting in the assembly. I am more interested in my party (All Pakistan Muslim League). I can’t say they are going to win but my being there increases their vote bank and encourages them and raises their morale. You already said but my question is how do you see your party’s success in the upcoming elections? There are some people who have joined us. Many people of PTI (Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf) and PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz Group) who were not given tickets are available in the market. They are annoyed and have contacted us. If I say we can muster a majority, then it will be ridiculous. It is the field day for PTI and PML-N. But we could win some seats which, if there is a hung parliament — and it will be — then it will tilt the balance.
So which constituency do you think you will be successful from? I don’t believe in underestimating or overestimating myself. I think I will win from wherever I stand from, whether it is Chitral or Gwadar — people are asking me to stand from there — and then Karachi, Orangi Town or Defence. I think I’ll win.
We have very recent events in Pakistan and we have seen the judiciary being emboldened to pose trouble for political parties, particularly the PML-N, which has borne the brunt. Do you think this is bad for the country’s democracy? Not at all. Nobody is against a party. PML-N is an old party. But it’s the leader who has been tried four times and failed miserably. Since I have been there at the helm of affairs for 10 years, I know how miserably he was failing, I know where the economy was going. I know there was no welfare going on for the people of Pakistan. Here is the man who wants to become prime minister again and thinks he can do a great job. If people of Pakistan are so oblivious of realities then God save us. He has already run us down in five years and he is going to do the same again because they are corrupt, they are nepotistic and they have ill intentions, they just want to make money. And most of all they are incompetent.
But they have a big complaint that the judiciary is targeting them. The whole thing started with the Panama leaks. So, which judiciary? The Panamanian judiciary? Which one are they talking about? There is a clear cut case of fraud and laundering of money, not small amounts but we are talking of billions. And during the trial, we saw their conduct. This man has told lies in the assembly, in the Supreme Court. He presented forged documents in the court. These are all very serious charges. Did the court tell him to do that? They all did it by themselves. And now they are criticising that they are being victimised.
And Maryam Nawaz is supporting her father in all this. But I think Maryam is quite immature and I do not even want to answer a question on this.
Given a choice between military rule and the so-called political chaos, what would you choose? Do you think Pakistan’s military will be ever able to let go of ruling from the sidelines for the strategic stability it provides? The environment when I took over in 1999 was different. Pakistan was suffering. Not as much as today but almost as much for being declared a faulted, failed state. But there was always a clause, where the army took over like Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan or Ziaul Haq, that it was treated as a law of necessity. Now the SC has passed a judgement where they have ordered that nobody will validate a military takeover. And if any judge validates, he will also be liable to the same treason punishment. So, therefore, the army is certainly going to remain in the backseat. And since they have done this, come up front now (to politicians). Face the music and save Pakistan. Army should then back them up. Let the SC, having passed the judgement, save Pakistan and let the army help them.
Of the main parties in the fray, do you believe Imran Khan has been set up by the military for power? He has denied it to KT. Would you support his bid to become PM and what do you think of chances of his success? I do support his party to win but there are better people than him as the PM. In Pakistan, there are only one or two people who are fit to be PMs. But they are there and they can do a job better than Imran. As a PM, you need to have balanced views and a balanced personality where you can meet the world leaders at par, talk to them eye to eye. You can go to United Nations and put your case across strongly. You can go to OIC and contribute to unifying the Muslim ummah. You can contribute to peace in the region, all this requires a certain balance which none of these people have.
Imran has good qualities and therefore I think he is better than Asif Zardari and Nawaz. I think he is an honest man. I think he is truthful also to a large extent and he is a very patriotic man. He is least corrupt, I know that he doesn’t have money. But then the negatives are that he talks more than he listens. And with him, who has just played cricket and done nothing else in life, he needs to understand the strategy in Pakistan.
In the speech that he gave in Lahore, he spoke of 11 points. Normally people know what to do, but how to do is the tactics of it and that is what people don’t know and you have to learn. And in learning, you have to listen more. His characteristic is to talk, he dominates and doesn’t listen. He just gives a verdict. That is his defect.
So is he backed by the army?
I don’t know and I don’t think so. But certainly army has its likes and dislikes. Maybe PML-N, Nawaz and Zardari for whatever roles they have played, ditched Pakistan, they might not be too happy about them.
In your assessment, how closer are India and Pakistan in making a bid for peace? Do you think such a deal is only possible with strong military backing or with a military leader? You came closest during your tenure. We must have peace in the region that is point number one. But I have been saying always to Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh that I will have peace with honour and dignity, with sovereign and equality and I will protect Pakistan’s prestige, honour and dignity with everything at my disposal. I will never compromise on that.
At that time, we were progressing because both Vajpayee and Singh wanted peace. At the moment, Modi is most unreliable. There are issues you can’t move forward with. You can’t clap with one hand.
Q: Can we open some backchannels? Unless we talk, we can’t move forward. He has to be wanting to talk. I know Pakistan, they will certainly want to talk except that I won’t be depending on Nawaz for talking.
Q: On the recent book by Gen Asad Durrani, what’s your opinion? Knowing Asad Durrani quite well, he is a very upright, straightforward man. He wouldn’t go for a set-up. He is patriotic. But I think what he did was most unbalanced. There was an immediate negative wave but without anyone having read the book. I got the script but was against it for only one thing. DGSI Pakistan writing a book together with DG Raw India. Can I write a book with Indian COAS against whom I have been fighting and warring? What is the equation? We are enemies. Intelligence is a bad game in the whole world.
Q: Since we are talking about books, Reham Khan’s upcoming book has caused a social media storm and has lots of controversies. Do you think it will affect Imran Khan’s political campaign and do you think she has been played by PML-N? Yes, I think so. In spite of the fact that the script is not out, I have received many vulgar messages on the book and if that is what she has written, then she should be quite ashamed of herself. You don’t write such things and especially a lady doesn’t write such things. If you were privy to such intimate details, you should still not disclose. This might in fact come to Imran’s assistance, I don’t think it will harm him because whole of Pakistan knows that this woman has done wrong. She is probably framing him and there is a hand behind her right from the day she came. And certainly PML-N, nobody else.