A Pakistani journalist, who lived in the United States for nearly 19 years and returned home last year, has filed a petition with the additional sessions judge in Islamabad under Section 22-A seeking permission to register a murder FIR against former president Pervez Musharraf for “martyring unarmed innocent civilians, Taliban and al Qaeda activists through drone attacks carried by the United States”.
In his application, Mian Zahid Ghani submitted that Musharraf permitted the US to carry out the drone attacks in June 2004, and until June 2013, 1,579 civilians, and just 230 Taliban and al Qaeda persons were killed in 379 attacks.
Ghani submitted that the oath of office commits the president, the prime minister and other ministers to “preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan” and to “do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favor, affection or ill-will”. In other words, the primary duty of a Pakistani politician was to protect its citizens from any harm that he failed to do.
