Maligning judiciary: Mamnoon says PPP move a pre-emptive strike

Says PPP fears verdicts against many former lawmakers in court cases.

LAHORE:

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s presidential candidate Mamnoon Hussain has alleged that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has boycotted the presidential election in order to malign the judiciary in a pre-emptive move meant to prevent many of its former lawmakers from being implicated in corruption cases.

Talking to reporters on arrival at the Lahore airport, Hussain said that PPP felt that many of its former cabinet members and lawmakers were likely to be sentenced through courts in cases pending before the judiciary.

He added that the move to boycott the poll was an attempt to start a malicious campaign against the apex court judges in a last-ditch effort to pre-empt the judges from giving their final verdict against PPP lawmakers.

Announcing his desire to relinquish all party positions after taking oath as president, Hussain said that the office of president is a symbol of the federation which is why he would try to demonstrate that he is president of every citizen in the country.



When pressed about allegations that another Rafique Tarar would be elected, Hussain supported the former president and said that Tarar had always played a constitutional role as head of state.

Commenting on the alliance between the MQM and PML-N for his election, Hussain said that it was the right of every presidential candidate to approach all parties for seeking vote. Hussain is in Lahore to address PML-N’s Punjab Parliamentary Committee to formally request for their vote as the party’s presidential candidate in Tuesday’s election.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2013.