Musharraf treason trial: 15-day tenure of Zahid Hamid as law minister ends
Minister was also legal wizard in Musharraf’s tenure.
Zahid Hamid. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s trial in the high treason case took a new turn on Saturday, as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government removed Zahid Hamid as the minister for law and justice.
The reshuffle – just 15 days after the formation of the federal cabinet – was made apparently to pave the way for a fair trial against the former dictator pending before the Supreme Court for abrogating the Constitution.
The move is significant as Hamid was also the legal wizard in Musharraf’s tenure as president. According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, Hamid has now been given the portfolio of minister for science and technology.
Hamid was also the law minister in the cabinet of former president Musharraf when he imposed emergency on November 3, 2007, which led to the detention of over 60 judges of the higher judiciary.
Hamid joined the PML-N after the 2008 general elections. He got elected on the PML-N ticket in this year’s general elections.
An appeal had been filed earlier this week before the Supreme Court, asking it to restrain Hamid from performing his duties as Law and Justice Minister until the court decided on the cases seeking the trial of Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution.
“Now when the petitions (for Musharraf’s treason trial) are at a final stage, Hamid – who was the brains behind the November 2007 emergency – has now been inducted (once again) into the federal cabinet as Law Minister with malafide intentions of giving a safe passage to Pervez Musharraf,” noted advocate Sheikh Ahsanuddin, who had also petitioned against the former president.
Ahsanuddin told the court, “All records regarding proclamation of emergency in 2007 are in the custody of the Law Minister and there is every possibility that there could be manipulation or tampering of records to benefit the former president.”
Asking for the inclusion of Hamid as one of the respondents in the pending petitions, Ahsanuddin argued that the minister could not distance himself from the 2007 emergency.
“All notifications concerning the proclamation of emergency were issued by the law ministry on the directions of the minister,” the petitioner claimed.
A section of media had reported a couple of days ago that the minister offered his party to relinquish the charge of law ministry.
Meanwhile, another reshuffle was carried out in the cabinet on Saturday.
The government reallocated Engineer Khurram Dastagir from Minister of State for Science and Technology to Minister of State for Privatisation and a notification has been issued in this regard.
According to media reporters, it is also expected that Ameer Muqam might be appointed as adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2013.
Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s trial in the high treason case took a new turn on Saturday, as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government removed Zahid Hamid as the minister for law and justice.
The reshuffle – just 15 days after the formation of the federal cabinet – was made apparently to pave the way for a fair trial against the former dictator pending before the Supreme Court for abrogating the Constitution.
The move is significant as Hamid was also the legal wizard in Musharraf’s tenure as president. According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, Hamid has now been given the portfolio of minister for science and technology.
Hamid was also the law minister in the cabinet of former president Musharraf when he imposed emergency on November 3, 2007, which led to the detention of over 60 judges of the higher judiciary.
Hamid joined the PML-N after the 2008 general elections. He got elected on the PML-N ticket in this year’s general elections.
An appeal had been filed earlier this week before the Supreme Court, asking it to restrain Hamid from performing his duties as Law and Justice Minister until the court decided on the cases seeking the trial of Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution.
“Now when the petitions (for Musharraf’s treason trial) are at a final stage, Hamid – who was the brains behind the November 2007 emergency – has now been inducted (once again) into the federal cabinet as Law Minister with malafide intentions of giving a safe passage to Pervez Musharraf,” noted advocate Sheikh Ahsanuddin, who had also petitioned against the former president.
Ahsanuddin told the court, “All records regarding proclamation of emergency in 2007 are in the custody of the Law Minister and there is every possibility that there could be manipulation or tampering of records to benefit the former president.”
Asking for the inclusion of Hamid as one of the respondents in the pending petitions, Ahsanuddin argued that the minister could not distance himself from the 2007 emergency.
“All notifications concerning the proclamation of emergency were issued by the law ministry on the directions of the minister,” the petitioner claimed.
A section of media had reported a couple of days ago that the minister offered his party to relinquish the charge of law ministry.
Meanwhile, another reshuffle was carried out in the cabinet on Saturday.
The government reallocated Engineer Khurram Dastagir from Minister of State for Science and Technology to Minister of State for Privatisation and a notification has been issued in this regard.
According to media reporters, it is also expected that Ameer Muqam might be appointed as adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2013.