(Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction. Learn to take a joke; you’ll live longer.)
LAHORE – Responding to former military dictator Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf’s invitation for a political alliance, the leader of the banned groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saeed has said that no coalition is possible with ‘outlaws like Musharraf’.
In an exclusive interview with The Dependent, Saeed said that as a flag-bearer of a political party in a democratic country, he has certain responsibilities.
“There is no way that a respectable and reputable – albeit unregistered – political party like the Milli Muslim League, affiliated with prestigious groups like LeT and JuD, would want to ally itself with an absconder and a traitor like Musharraf,” Saeed said.
“This is a democratic country and we have to respect that. This man has not only breached the constitution, in turn committing treason, he is also an absconder in the murder trial of Benazir Bhutto. Can you imagine how MML’s reputation would sink if we allied ourselves with former military dictators?” he stressed.
Saeed further urged the establishment to reconsider its policy and respect the law of a democratic state.
“This mainstreaming of former military dictators needs to be stopped, before we become a laughing stock in the West – or worse, invite sanctions.”