RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is under pressure to allow former president Pervez Musharraf safe passage out of the country, said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Raja Zafarul Haq, Express News reported on Sunday.
Indirectly referring to the ongoing agitation against the government, Haq said the "whole drama" in the country was taking place in order to get the former president released.
"Hidden forces, which didn't want legal action against Musharraf and wanted a safe exit for him, are pressuring the premier," the PML-N leader said when asked to clarify who exactly was pressuring the prime minister.
On March 31, Musharraf was formally charged for subverting and circumventing the Constitution by imposing emergency on November 3, 2007. Musharraf had rejected the charges levelled against him.
Qadri, Imran
Haq also claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairperson Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri were working on an international agenda.
PTI's Azadi March is scheduled to take place in the federal capital on August 14 while PAT's "revolution" march will be announced after the Youm-e-Shuhuda, which is being observed today.
COMMENTS (57)
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@Zaka: i do agree with u
It is clearly written on the wall - There is no hidden force. - It is sheer incompetence of PMLN leadership. - Geo is sweating hard to save the government.If PMLN government goes then God help GEO - After secretary Afzal statement, PMLN has morally no ground to stay in power
Looking at all politicians my salam to mush
@truthbetold: Musharaff should be tried in court for treason as well as the people who rigged the 2013 elections. Law should be applied to all or to none.
@ truthbetold
You are absolutely right in saying that 'Usurping the Constitution, launching a military coup against a constitutionally elected government and imposing dictatorship' should be punished, but if you just calm down a little and pay close attendtion to the treason trial against him, he is only being tried for imposing emergency for a few days when he was already President/COAS for the last several years. His original 'crime' of 1999 which you mentioned is not even being touched one bit.
@truthbetold: Well put, Bangladesh does not have India as a enemy, therefore no Kashmir problem, no nukes problem, the extremists and terrorists have been shown the noose. That is the approach Pakistan should adopt, and sooner the people who run the show realize this the better.
@observer:
" Even Bangladesh is ahead of Pakistan in many ways, it does not have terrorists, extremists, and therefore can spend its scarce resources on education, health and development."
Bangladesh also doesn't spend 65% of national income and 12% of GDP on the military and nukes. Best, it doesn't have the self-inflicted India and Kashmir bogey. But BD does have extremists and terrorists. The difference is that unlike Pakistan, the government and army doesn't sponsor them.
Musharraf brought the true democracy even he himself came through the coup. Zardari and Sharif's democracy is a sham one and its actually democratically corrupt dictatorship. I am amazed to see how they talk about protecting democracy after plundering and looting the whole country. Democracy always start from the local bodies level and even the small township should have its own governing bodies and taxes. Forget about western countries even India has been able to have grass root democracy.
Since 14th.August 1947. this country has been under "tremendous pressure" at the "crossroads" under conspiracies, under threat, it has always been under and under, we obviously are not a normal nation, it seems our mindsets have been indoctrinated to be under. That is why since even after 66 years of ''independence" we are no where near being independent. Look at South Korea, China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan. Many of these countries were flattened at the end of the 2nd.World War, and look where they are now. Even Bangladesh is ahead of Pakistan in many ways, it does not have terrorists, extremists, and therefore can spend its scarce resources on education, health and development. Our mindset is such that we cannot do without making enemies. Therefore there is always a fight going on somewhere in Pakistan. This Musharraf saga is just one more example of how our mindset works.
Nawaz Sharif is under tremendous pressure to resign, so in that case both can leave Pakistan in the same flight, become friends and discuss their comeback strategy enroute.
NS under immense pressure to go to toilet. .... that is the actual truth.
NS&Co. probably drafting another agreement for a 'safe passage' to their beloved Saudia.
Musharraf issue should be resolved through referendum. Let the victims under Musharraf's oppression be the first to testify before the nation.
@Mirza:
" We should learn from the past and not become blood thirsty. "
Part of learning from the past is to make sure the bad past doesn't happen again. That means when one usurps the constitution and launches a coup he should be punished in order to send the message that such crimes will not be tolerated. Otherwise, it will be repeated again in the future.
@zafar:
"All cases against Musharraf are fabricated and will fizzle out anyway when this government goes in few days. "
Usurping the Constitution, launching a military coup against a constitutionally elected government and imposing dictatorship is all fabricated?
@Tariq Mahmood: Your comments have plucked the strings of my heart. This is exactly how I feel because, we have shown the negative and nihilist side of our natures, which is easy. Being productive, appreciative, and thankful is not in our glossary. Salams
@Waseem: Respectfully...I do not think so. There is too much at stake with 'Bad Governance' becoming the rule of the roost. Salams
@Azam Khan: Both you fine gentlemen have scored a bulls-eye with your comments and @ali mustafa: questions. Salams
I don't understand how someone can support dictators. Historically politicians added somethng like Pakistan from British India Gwadar from Oman, scientific achievements like Nuclear Power, and most importantly, Peace and Harmony. Dictators on the other hand lost everything from all Wars with India to loosing many territories like East Pakistan and Kashmir to loosing resources. Musharraf did the same thing like his predecessors. He lost Kargil just to get into power and created unrest and separatist movements in Balochistan by killing Bugti. Sometimes I find it funny when people talk about economy under these people. If one were to read Musharraf's book, he admits taking billions in aid from the U.S in return for innocent people. Literally this was the trade . Talk about energy, there was literally no project he worked on. If i remember load shedding was always there and he introduced pathetic policies like cng and gave contracts to black corporations.
Raja Jee, stop proving over and over and again that your bunch is bunch of thugs and have no political acumen, none. You know what, any idiot would have been smarter than your stupid lot and would have consolidated your hold on power by delivering making itself a source of hope in you and whatever semblance of democracy one tried to find but no you got busy in what you do best rob our national wealth and all our resources. If I was anywhere close to you, I'd have realize that no military in the world would ever abandon its comrades, the whole institution has one simple foundation which is loyalty, loyalty to one an other and together loyalty to the nation. They would give anything including their lives to stay loyal to their commanders, especially a commander as popular as President Pervaiz Musharraf has been, they say the man is a true soldier of the soldiers, a commander who is loved and revered by all ranks and files. If you guys were so stupidly blind to recognize this fact then believe me you don't deserve nothing and now be prepared for ultimate consequences and knowing your own popularity hopefully you don't count me in to either sympatize or worry about how you all are taken care of and be assured my sentiments are not unique or isolated, it reflects the popular sentiments, people really wish you go some wish that you go out of power and some wish even worse than just this. Tough, isn't it.
Most people and political leaders have a strong opinion about "what to do with Mush"? It has become a destabilizing issue that is taking away from other burning problems that the country is facing. It would be great to know what PTI and Qadri say about this imp issue? They can quash these allegations and rumors by taking a clear stand. A naive person like me thinks that after the charges are framed Mush should be helped to leave the country. We should learn from the past and not become blood thirsty.
Working on an international agenda???really????what international agenda is exactly?i think i will never know.sharifs have gone mad,they should be put down and tried for there unpardonable crimes.
Mr. Zafarul Haq why do you call yourself RAJA. Maybe it is the inferiority complex embedded in you. This has nothing to with pressures or anything else. It is simply a matter of rigging elections. PTI kept asking the sold out Judiciary & the PML(n) to redress this problem; but both were deaf, dumb & blind. Mr. so called Raja what the are you talking about, you think that you guys can make a fool of the entire nation.
Liars kept denying all this time that there was pressure from the 'establishment' to let Musharraf go. Why pick up this fight at this time and derail all the other important stuff??? Personal enmity and vendetta.
@Mojo Jojo: Exactly, these political wheeler-dealers from generals Iskandar Mirza, ayub, Yahya, Ziaul, Aslam Beg, Mush, Kiani-Pasha have brought the country to ruin.
Not only should Musharraf be allowed to go but he should be allowed to live a life with dignity within Pakistan. He was a far better leader than either NS or AZ. He was also a few notches more honest than the civilian dispensations.
It is not Musharraf who needs a safe passage, it could be the PM soon. Coup is not a treason in Pakistan, in fact it is the norm. It is going to be a soft coup.
@Paki Boy
Son, can't you see that all beneficiaries(failed politicians) of Musharraf's 2002 election namely Imran Khan,Tahir ul Qadri,Chaudry Shujat,Chota Chaudry,Shaikh Rasheed are once again under same umbrella. Musharraf though his sidekick Pasha is orchestrating this whole drama in order to destabilize current govt.
Its high time Pasha should man up and come out in open from hiding and maybe take over PTI rather then controlling it from behind the scene as its apparent that politics really isn't immature Imran's cup of tea and Imran isn't enough to execute Pasha's sinister plans.
If PML N considers itself democratic force, then it should not bow to the hidden forces. We will know very soon.
@Ranjha: Surely Jeddah
PMLN is simply looking for an excuse to let Musharraf off the hook as demanded by those who provided refuse to Sharifs. If you happen to recollect, Sharifs were all smiles while leaving Pakistan. Then it was the PMs wife who requested for them to be exiled, now it is his son who has applied for visas through American Ambassador for four of their servants in anticipation of bad days to come. Whether Musharraf makes it back to politics or not, those were the days when most of the populace could make their ends meet. Good old days!
This is the actual issue, ever since PMLN refused to bow down on releasing Musharraf, pressure has been built by the army tgrough its pawns. IK is a creation of Shuja Pasha just like NS was of Zia. So why should I support IK he is one in the same. IK met.his mater Pasha earlier this month to take guidance. At least PMLN has been withhilding army pressure for this long. Next election i will be voting PMLN. Ex-PTI voted in both NA and provincial seats for IK but his party is miserably failing to change KPK and fulfil its manifesto.
@Mohammad: Why Pakistanis did not vote for him? Musharraf played Kargil that resulted in deaths of hundreds of Pakistanis. Pakistan refused to take dead bodies of some Pakistanis that died in Kargil. Pakistani government employees took millions of dollars from US government by handing dead or alive terrorists with investigating the truth.
Musharraf the best leader Pakistan ever had. Miss you so much Sir.
Letting Musharraf go is a political decision ....... not really a legal one.
NS go Dubai
Any statements of untruth to malign anyone else but PMLN. PMLN tried to malign the Army too. Go home and leave Nawaz!
travesty of rule of law. it is impossible to believe that in a democratic country army still has such powers and are able to put pressure on an elected govt.
@Waseem: If NS has some proof, he should sack them. But I heard PMLN saying that Mus's case is with SC not in their power, so why worry now. Even he does not want to go now
No sence.no concrete evidence.just bad mouthing
@Waseem:
these forces are not hidden, the nexus is pretty clear. Imran Khan, Qadri, the choudaries and the Sheikh for the pindi, they are all working to save their master (musharaf).
Very well put. However, you missed some other hands hidden even deeper which are ten times more malicious: Casper the Ghost, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd!
But we know, our Sher PM will never cave in--he would rather go to Adiala or Jeddah than to give in to the hidden hands.
Musharaf was infinitely a better leader than the dross in place now. If Pakistani's still cannot unravel the Sharif's for what they really are (bunch of thieving clowns) after two previous failures then in my opinion Pakistani deserve a future, worse than that of the Palestinians.
This is the 100 percent the actual story and IK and TuQ are establishment pawns .
Raja Zafarul Haq, should advice his chief MNS to start packing for his final foreign trip...before it is too late
these forces are not hidden, the nexus is pretty clear. Imran Khan, Qadri, the choudaries and the Sheikh for the pindi, they are all working to save their master (musharaf). Let musharaf go, all these people will stop their protest.
Simply say Dear Raaja Sb. Your govt wants to release Gen Musharraf and blame PTI & PAT.
Its the same hidden forces which protected cancellation of Geo TV Licence. forced NADRA & State Bank, Heads to resign.
You wouldn't scarify your government to keep Musharraf IN.. you will let him out to save your government, wouldn't you? You are just bluffing the nation.