Pervaiz Rashid.
Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid has clarified that the government was instructed by the Supreme Court to initiate the treason case against former president Pervez Musharraf and did not take the decision on its own.
“The government did not initiate any action against former president Pervez Musharraf and only submitted its reply before the Supreme Court under the Constitution,” Rashid said while talking to reporters on Thursday.
Defending the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government against allegations that it was carrying out its personal vendetta against Musharraf, he said the court would have issued notices to the government even if the Pakistan Peoples Party was in power today.
Describing former army chief Aslam Beg’s apprehensions regarding Musharraf’s trial as baseless, the information minister dispelled the impression that the proceedings would lead to a clash of institutions.
Rashid said the government would fulfill its obligations according to the Constitution and had constituted a four-member Federal Investigation Agency committee to probe the high treason issue.
Meanwhile, talking about the power crisis, the minister said the government will use all resources to ensure the provision of uninterrupted electricity to the nation.
“We are taking all efforts to overcome load-shedding,” he said, assuring that the electricity tariff will not be increased without the provision of smooth power supply to the people”, he maintained.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2013.
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No one is buying the minister's claims. The supreme court simply asked the gov't what it's going to do. They could have just responded that they are focussed on other bigger issues and will take it up at the appropriate time after building consensus in the parliament which ultimately will have to decide. The supreme court cannot force the gov't on when to and how to proceed. But this is not what has happended. Nawaz Sharif himself took this up in the parliament. He is making a big mistake, just like in the past, and will be spending his time an energies on this case which will not amount to anything in the end but will only detract from larger issues facing the country.