I certainly oppose any action in which the aim is to harass and defame a former president.
LAHORE: The attempt to book General (retd) Pervez Musharraf for the murder of the deputy head of Lal Masjid will open up a Pandora’s box. A president or a prime minister during his term in office has to take many decisions that may not be liked by everyone but still are necessary for the state’s security. These actions have official sanction and are not taken in a personal capacity. These actions have also been provided constitutional cover under Article 248(1) of the Constitution, in which it is clearly stated that the president will not be answerable to any court for exercise of powers and performance of functions of their respective offices. So, if Musharraf is implicated for the death of people at the Lal Masjid, then what about the people who were killed during the Swat operation in 2009 and in the Karachi operation during the 1990s.
People inside the Lal Masjid were given sufficient time to vacate, and only those miscreants who challenged the writ of state were dealt with forcefully. General (retd) Musharraf should be tried for treason for his 1999 coup and for the imposition of emergency in 2007, but I certainly oppose any action in which the aim is to harass and defame a former president.
Omer Butt
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2013.
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