Case is a conspiracy against Zardari: PPP

Within hours of the Supreme Court’s orders on the memo controversy on Thursday, defiant Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders questioned the impartiality of the superior judiciary, saying Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif was conspiring to get President Asif Ali Zardari tried for treason but the government would never surrender its authority of forming commissions. “Memogate will be defended in court and the government will continue the probe through the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani will brief the committee today on the memo controversy,” former law minister Dr Babar Awan told reporters at a crowded press conference along with Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khurshid Shah and PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira. “There is a law under which forming any commission is a prerogative of the executive. Until we are in power, we will not surrender the authority of the executive and parliament,” he said, clearly hinting that the government would not implement the court orders to form a commission to probe the controversy.
ZARDARI HOLDS MEETING: Earlier, after the court orders, Awan briefed President Zardari on the court proceedings. Later, the prime minister also joined the meeting. During the meeting it was also decided that the leadership of the coalition government would be consulted.
Later, the prime minister and president contacted PML-Quaid President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman and Balochistan National Party-Awami (BNP) chief Israrullah Zehri on the telephone, while Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali visited the Presidency and gave his input. The president then held another consultation meeting with the government’s leading ministers including Babar Awan, Syed Khurshid Shah, Firdous Ashiq Awan and Rehman Malik. Finally it was decided that the government would strongly respond to the court verdict.
‘RELIEF BROTHERS’: Raising serious questions regarding the impartiality of the judiciary, Awan said it was historic fact that the PPP was never given relief while the rulers of the Punjab were never refused relief. He said the Sharif brothers had got so much relief from the courts that they had been named “Relief brothers”. Accusing the apex court of biased treatment of the government, Awan said the federation was not put on notice in the memogate case and despite the fact that he himself was present in court, he was not heard. “The PPP always faces allegations in courts. The Sharif brothers have been given so much relief by the courts that under stay orders, no case of default or tax evasion can be opened against them. I can’t understand why the Sharifs always talk about commissions,” he said, referring to the petition by Nawaz Sharif seeking the formation of a commission to probe the memogate scandal.
He also alleged that the Sharif brothers wanted a war between the state institutions and after losing the battle in the political field, they were looking for strong backing from the courts. Awan also pointed the finger at an apex court judge, stating that one of the brothers of Tariq Khosa was an apex court judge, while another one was the chief secretary of Punjab while his father-in-law was the one who was involved in the judicial murder of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
“How could one think that such a person would be impartial? Tariq Khosa is the same person who was not given his choice posting by the federal government. How will he do justice when his entire family is biased?” he said.
Holding Nawaz Sharif responsible for violating the Charter of Democracy, Awan said the PML-N chief had played a dirty game to get the president held responsible for treason. He said initially someone had talked about threats to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal (under President Zardari), and now the ‘treason card’ was being played.
“Now you can solve the jigsaw puzzle yourself. Whether or not we have hope for justice, we will not stop our quest for justice. We have always implemented Supreme Court judgements. We can only see justice if all cases against the Sharif brothers, including the Asghar Khan case, are reopened and all are held accountable,” he added.
“He is attacking the democratically elected government from behind the institutions… No political party has ever died because it was labelled a traitor… Punjab has sent three bodies of former prime ministers to Sindh, now efforts are being made to prepare a fourth coffin. But let me tell you, Asif Zardari will never run away. He will either be a ghazi or a shaheed,” he said, adding that in the holy month of Muharram, a conspiracy was being hatched by the tigers of Punjab to label an elected president, one who had received the most votes from all provincial assemblies in history, a traitor. Warning against bringing a “Bangladesh model” to Pakistan, Awan said no one should even think for becoming a caretaker. Caretakers, he said, were actually “chair-takers”.
“Only a person who has been given a mandate by the people of Pakistan will govern the country. We would not allow anyone to supersede the constitution. Nobody should think that the democrats will run away in the face of threats. Democracy is here forever,” he said.
He also questioned the admission of Nawaz Sharif’s petition in the memogate case, saying the government had decided to empower parliament by referring the memo issue to a parliamentary body and Prime Minister Gilani was going to brief the committee on the issue on Friday (today).
Responding a question, Firdous Ashiq Awan said it was true that Nawaz was given VIP treatment and the staff of the apex court had received him outside the court premises on Constitution Avenue, and his entourage was taken into the court with weapons without even showing security passes.