A file photo of former president Pervez Musharraf. PHOTO: REUTERS
A government lawmaker in the upper house on Friday claimed that elements supporting former military ruler Pervez Musharraf were behind the current crisis.
Adding to the discussion on the current situation that entered its fourth day, Senator Mushahidullah Khan, who is also the parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said Pervez Musharraf was responsible for the existing mayhem.
“There are a large number of people, who made their way to the media industry when the military dictator ruled and these people wanted him to win but the power of the people has proved them wrong,” he said, adding that the media had fully exposed itself.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sadar Ali, however, said such statements by the government were ‘unnecessarily provocative’.
“It is time for reconciliation rather than creating more disputes among institutions,” he added. Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Abdul Qadir Baloch, who was in the house to conclude the discussion, said there was street discussion engineered to give impression that the government’s days were counted.
“The government is fully capable and aware of the current situation in the country but since the matter pertaining to Hamid Mir is sub judice, we do not want to deliberately interfere,” he said.
He also put the blame of the current crisis on Musharraf and said the people who wanted to make their way to power through hidden channels were responsible for the current political crisis.
The minister said Geo committed a grave blunder by displaying the picture of the ISI chief for 8 hours.
“But if the media war is not curtailed in time, it will spread like a fire which will destroy everything in its path,” he added.
He said that the government enjoyed the support of all the political parties including those in the opposition. “Even the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would not profess publicly that it wants to derail the system,” he said.
He said everyone wanted the electoral process to be reformed including the government itself.“
Two bills, one to amend the National Judicial Policy and another to repeal the Federal Court Act, 1937 as pointed by the committee were moved by Pervez Rashid, Minister for Law Justice and Human Rights.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2014.
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