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INTERNATIONAL

and held that the Governor-General’s civilian government. The special Paki- mad Ali Jinna, Mushrraf too was a non-
approval was not needed when the Con- stani court headed by the chief justice of conformist Muslim. He could drink
stituent Assembly was acting only as a Lahore High Court, concluded the case scotch, and may be never hesitated in
Constituent Assembly. However, in the pending before it since 2013 despite re- eating any meat, not necessarily halal
appeal the Chief Justice Muhammad Mu- peated delays until the final verdict. The meat or even pork. Like his predeces-
nir, favored the Governor General. This final order surprised everyone, because sor, General Zia, he too had jointed the
decision helped the military dictators of the High Court had asked it to delay the US Camp in the “war on terror” after the
Paksitan to validate their illegal regimes. final order sentencing the former mili- September 11 attacks.
tary dictator and president Pervez Mush- Musharraf’s regime was quite peace-
owever, with the conviction of arraf to death in absentia. ful till he tried to get an oath of loyalty
Musharraf, the prevailing pol- The army spokesman slammed the from the judiciary in 2007. He had issued
H tical ideology has collapsed. verdict, a two-to-one majority, drew a provincial constitutional order like his
It is happening when the GHQ is not strong reaction from the military that an predecessor General Zia. However, the
facing any opposition from the coun- army chief, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff judges led by the chief justice, Iftikhar
try’s major political outfits, Pakistan Committee and President of Pakistan, Muhammed Choudhry and his col-
People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim who has served the country for over 40 leagues refused to accept the Musharaff’s
League (Noon) on the issue of giving years, fought wars for the defense of the new diktat. In this backdrop, the role of
extension to the army chief Qamar country can surely never be a traitor. It Supreme Court towards Mushraff was
Javed Bajwa. However, on the issue of further claimed “the competent court “not very helpful”. It is also possible some
capital punishment to the Delhi-born seems to have been ignored the legal people suspect that the judiciary is not
Pakistani General Musharraf, averse to send him to gallows.
the country’s main opposition Musharraf’s lawyer Akhtar In 2017, a Pakistani court pro-
will demand pound of flesh nounced him a fugitive in the
from the armed forces. If the Shah, has questioned that how murder trial of Benazir Bhutto-
GHQ wants extension to Bajwa, the first woman prime minister
it must reconcile to the judicial the treason case could be only of a Muslim country. After being
verdict against Musharraf. It is against Mushrraf, because he is found guilty of treason in 2019,
quite difficult for the cricketer- he has the right to appeal in the
turned politician, Imran Khan, to just one of several who took the Supreme Court. “We’ll definitely
work out an amicable political- decision to suspend the country's challenge it in the Supreme
legal solution to this face-off Court,” Musharraf’s lawyer Raza
between the judiciary and the Constitution and Bashir, but the army being a part
armed forces. It appears that the impose emergency rule in 2007 of the government cannot file
Bajwa coterie in the GHQ has to an appeal against the court or-
abandon Musharraf, though the der. It has to be done by Mush-
spokesman of the army, Major General process. Musharraf’s lawyer Akhtar Shah, arraf, but he has to return to Pakistan to
Asif Ghafoor has stated, that the armed has questioned that how the treason case file the appeal. If he does not return, he
forces were in “pain and anguish” over could be only against Mushrraf, because may be declared an absconding crimi-
the decision. he is just one of several involving Mush- nal. The interp0ole has to be engaged to
arraf- centred on his decision to suspend drag him to Pakistan. He may apply for a
An unnecessary comment the constitution and impose emergency presidential pardon, but again after the
General Gafoor’s comment against the rule in 2007. The imposition of martial appeal is disposed off at the apex court.
verdict has officially shown that the law did not evoked wide-spread protests Also, it is highly unlikely that the courts
armed forces are a separate entity than in the country. Earlier, Mushrraf, who is will be over-awed by the army’s reac-
the civil government. It is now officially undergoing treatment in Dubai and ad- tions. The Supreme Court may confirm
confirmed that the case of high-treason mitted to a hospital had bitterly criticized his punishment.
filed against Musharrf during the ten- the treason case against him in a video The Imran Khan government, a band
ure of prime minister Nawaz Sharif message. Only a week before the verdict, of cronies of the GHQ, has to prosecute
was against the wishes of the GHQ. In a he had stated from his hospital bed,”I the convicted general, though much
comment, a senior Pakistani journalist, think this case is baseless, they are not against its wishes.A lot drama may be
Najam Sethi, recollects that Sharif had listening to me and they are not listening witnessed next year, but it si certain few
told him that the legal proceedings to my lawyer... it is a big injustice”. will in the army may now dare to topple a
against Musharraf were necessary to civilian government.
reduce, if not totally stopped, the inter- The mixed comments
ference of the GHQ in the affairs of the Like the founder of Pakistan, Muham- LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

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