Government ministers step up in Musharraf’s defence

Fawad terms verdict ‘specific strategy targeting army’; Sarwar says move ‘part of conspiracy’

ISLAMABAD: The government ministers have stepped up in defence of Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf against the three-member special court’s detailed verdict, wherein, the presiding judge ruled that the corpse of the former military ruler should be hanged at D-Chowk if he dies before his execution.

The addition of the rider to the verdict did not sit well with the government as well as the Pakistani military. A high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday decided to approach the Supreme Judicial Council against the conduct of Justice Waqar Seth, head of the three-judge special court that issued the verdict in the Musharraf treason case.

The Pakistani military also took strong exception to the judge’s choice of words, saying it “is beyond the basic values of religion, humanity and civilisation”.

On December 17, the three-judge special court – comprising Justice Waqar Seth, Justice Nazar Akbar and Justice Shahid Karim – sentenced Musharraf to death after finding him guilty of high treason for abrogating the Constitution in 2007.

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On Thursday, the special court issued its detailed verdict in the case.
In a series of tweets on Friday, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry warned that Pakistan could head towards “anarchy” if the “institution of the army was divided or weakened”.

Fawad reiterated the government’s stance that the special court’s verdict against Musharraf was part of a “specific strategy targeting the army”.

“This is not just about Pervez Musharraf; the Pakistan Army was targeted as per a specific strategy. First, the army and ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] were involved in the [Tehreek-e-Labbaik] sit-in case, then the army chief’s extension was made controversial, and now a famous former army chief has been humiliated.

“The sequence of events is now more than just a judicial or legal matter. If the institution of the army is divided or weakened, the country cannot be saved from anarchy.”

The minister said the incumbent army chief and military leadership stood by Pakistan’s democratic institutions, but warned that their support “should not be misconstrued as weakness”.

In the same vein, Special Assistant to the PM on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan also stressed the need for harmony and mutual trust among state institutions.

“Strong institutions are imperative for Pakistan’s progress, promotion of democracy, and welfare of the masses,” she said in a series of tweets.

ملک کے تمام اداروں میں ہم آہنگی اور باہمی اعتماد وقت کی اہم ترین ضرورت ہے۔ادروں کی مضبوطی ملکی ترقی،جمہوریت کے فروغ اورعوامی فلاح کیلئے ناگزیر ہے۔وزیراعظم عمران خان اورعسکری قیادت مل کراحسن اندازسے ملک کو درپیش چیلنجز سے نکال رہے ہیں۔ملک معاشی استحکام اور ترقی کی منزل پر گامزن ہے

— Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan (@Dr_FirdousAwan) December 20, 2019

She said Prime Minister Imran Khan and the military leadership were collectively steering the country through a plethora of challenges, and Pakistan was now on the track of economic stability and development.

“External elements and their internal stooges will fail in their nefarious designs to weaken the institutions and stoke instability in the country,” said Firdous, adding that the cabinet members’ statements were in line with the stance taken by the army and PM Imran on the Musharraf treason verdict.

Separately addressing the media-persons, Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan termed the special court’s verdict a result of the presidential reference against former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

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“The verdict and the order pertaining to the extension of the army chief are part of a conspiracy,” said the aviation minister, adding that the Supreme Court gave Musharraf the power to amend the Constitution after he ousted the PML-N government.

He said the Supreme Court was with Musharraf in ousting the civilian government in October 1999 but against filing of the reference.
Under judicial authority, Musharraf had brought a reference against the then chief justice and today, under the same authority, a reference has been filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

“The reference against Iftikhar Chaudhry had not been heard then, and today also efforts are being made to stop the reference,” said Sarwar.

The federal minister pointed out that the Para 66 of the court’s verdict was shocking. “It [the verdict] has publicly ridiculed the country’s judicial system in front of the whole world.”

Sarwar requested the courts to desist from giving such a verdict that might give joy to Pakistan’s enemies.