Has the govt rested its case against Musharraf?

• As PML-N leaders remain mum over special court’s verdict in treason case against Gen (r) Musharraf, PPP, PML-Q, PTI leaders say case has been trashed with govt’s nod while MQM leader says abettors in case should be tried

While the ruling party leaders have adopted a meaningful silence over the special court’s verdict in the trial of former military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf, the leaders of major opposition parties believe that the former president’s trial under Article 6 of the Constitution was heading towards its logical conclusion and the government was looking in no mood to file a fresh appeal in the court against the judgment.

While the ruling party leaders including Information Minister Pervez Rashid were not available for comments, Prosecutor General Akram Shaikh, otherwise a media-savvy person, also did not comment over the court’s verdict and has remained missing from the media discussions following the verdict’s announcement.

PPP BELIEVES IT’S COMING TO AN END:

While talking to Pakistan Today, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Musharraf’s trial apparently had come to an end and no further appeal will be filed by the government.

“It seems that the special court’s verdict has opened a Pandora’s box and a long list of accused will now be produced in the court for alleged abetment in the case. However, this can’t be done practically,” said the PPP leader, adding that the court order did not meet the eyes as Musharraf had signed the emergency order as chief of the army staff (COAS) and not as the president.

“Under the SoP, the army chief does not consult with the prime minister or the law minister as he has his own consultation forum. Although Musharraf had said in his speech that he had consulted all cabinet members and the PM yet his consultation forum as COAS was not the cabinet,” he said. Consequently, it is strange to assume that PM and other cabinet members were his aiders and abetters, he added.

Asked whether the mysterious silence of the government officials over the court verdict was strange for him, Kaira said that the government’s silence over the verdict suggested that there was some “behind-the-scene understanding”.

PTI CRITIQUES OVER GOVT’S REFERENCE:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice President Hamid Khan said that his party believed that the government’s reference filed against Musharraf was full of flaws.

“In the first place, all the co-accused of Musharraf should have been included in the reference. This was a legal flaw in the reference and the government did not fulfil its duty. The government was striving to save its own ministers who were co-accused in this case and a cover-up was being made on part of the prime minister. This decision is delayed but the decision is right,” he added.

Asked whether the government would go for an appeal in the apex court against the court’s verdict, Khan said that it was strange to note that there was no consistent policy of the government in Musharraf’s case. He said that it appeared that the way Asghar Khan case was left in the cold storage, Musharraf’s trial will also meet the same fate.

PML-Q SAYS GOVT IN A FIX:

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader SM Zafar said that the court verdict has put the government in a fix.

“If the government goes for an appeal in the apex court against the special court judgement, Musharraf’s lawyers would also file an appeal against this move. This will further delay the matter as this process will take a long time to decide. It is also a possibility that both appeals are rejected by the apex court. In such a situation, the government may face further problems,” he added.

“It would be better for the government to end this matter here and don’t file a reference against Musharraf under Article 6. If the government files a new reference, the case will start afresh and new record would have to be submitted and all accused would have right to record statements. Their lawyers would also have the privilege to argue afresh. This would lead to indefinite delay in the case,” he added.

MQM BELIEVES IN JUSTICE:

Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) spokesman Wasay Jalil said that his party had called upon the government from day one that no individual should be singled out and targeted in the treason case.

“MQM believes that not only justice should be done. We welcome the special court’s judgement in Musharraf’s trial. We think that the government should shun witch-hunt against Musharraf and every abettor in the case should be tried,” he said.