Pervez Musharraf resigned.
Extensive anti Musharraf propaganda using public money won.
Nation defeated because it was all personal vendetta of our politicians.
Yesterday Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation from the post of president in a televised address to the nation. The primary reason he mentioned for his resignation was that he wanted to end the uncertainty prevailing in the country since the coalition government of PPP and PML-N came into power after the elections of February 18, 2008.
He may be right. But the question is why he did not stand up and fought for the allegations supposedly included in the charge sheet to impeach him. Probably he did not have that much money required to fight such cases. He was not a landlord or politician or capitalist who have made their money in politics. He was a retired general in Pak Army so how much money he can spend from his savings or pension on such cases.
General Ashfaq Kiyani of Pakistan Army did not want Pervez Musharraf to fight the impeachment. He preferred Pervez Musharraf to resign. Why? In a minute.
Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif did not want to impeach the president. They knew this is a very lengthy, difficult and ugly process. There were good chances it may back fire on them. They wanted the president to resign. All this brouhaha about impeachment you saw was just a drama by these politicians and their paid propagandists to pressurize the president to resign.
As I mentioned in one of my previous posts there are only four charges against which president can be removed or impeached.
Here is the text from the Constitution of Pakistan Part III, Chapter 1 Article 47.
47. Removal [22][or impeachment] of President.
[22A](1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Constitution, the President may, in accordance with the provisions of this Article, be removed from office on the ground of physical or mental incapacity or impeached on a charge of violating the Constitution or gross misconduct.
Sharif, Zardari and their other party leaders specifically Ishaq Dar, Farooq Naiq, Sherry Rahman and Khurshid Shah and others have been publicly saying that they have two-third votes in the national assembly so they can and will impeach the president. In other words they were saying the parliament can decide whether Pervez Musharraf has violated the constitution or not. Case in point is imposition of the emergency. Parliament can decide whether Pervez Musharraf has embezzled the funds or not. If the parliament can give the verdict by show of hands or votes that the president has violated the constitution instead of a constitutional court. Or parliament can give the verdict by majority vote that president has embezzled the fund instead of a criminal court then there was no reason for the parliament not to give a verdict that president is physically or mentally incapable to handle his responsibilities so he should be removed.
That was an easy way to remove the president. There should not have been any problem taking this route if their explanation or interpretation of the constitution is right.
Then what was problem?
Problem was they all knew it will not work. There is still a serious doubt whether PPP and PML-N along with their supporters had the necessary two-third votes to run this process in the parliament. Provincial assemblies had nothing to do with this process. They can pass as many resolutions as they like they had no legal binding on any one. There is no constitutional involvement of provincial assemblies in this issue.
Back to the question why the Army, Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari wanted president to resign.
All these gentlemen knew the case will end up in the Supreme Court and may be in a criminal court if some charges are of criminal nature. Sharif and Zardari knew if it happened they will lose control on the end ‘result’. They also knew that present judges of the Supreme Court do not want the old judges to come back. So the judges may go hostile to Sharif and Zardari and may give a decision which they may not like.
Pervez Musharraf when he took the decisions including imposition of emergency he involved all the stake holders as he mentioned in his speech yesterday including Army Commanders. So he was not all alone making these decisions. The Army will be dragged into this case and in the Supreme Court. Situation will get ugly.
Ashfaq Kiyani, Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari did not want that due to their own reasons.
Ashfaq Kiyani did not want Army dragged into political wrangling.
Nawaz Sharif has always been suspicious about Army. Zardari wants good relations with Army and do not want to do something which make them annoyed. Also, Zardari wants to show to America that he is a moderate politician on which they can trust while Nawaz Sharif is considered far right politician.
You have seen how the propaganda against Pervez Musharraf was used in the digital and print media. Most of the propaganda has been run at the expense of public money. Pakistan TV Network which is hundred percent national properties was used full time for anti-Musharraf propaganda. Fulfillment of personal vendetta at the national expense. PPP hired famous anti Musharraf propagandist Dr. Shahid Masood to run campaign against Musharraf. He is an employee of PTV but he is directly reporting to Zardari. He demanded a commission out of the ads which will run during the campaign.
Do you like to see such leaders rule your country?
You make your own decisions.
Apparently there are quite a number of people who agree with their leaders’ personal enmity agenda. In the near future people of Pakistan are going to pay the price of their decisions.
Why these politicians did not take legal route to go to Supreme Court or Criminal Court to prove that President has violated the constitution, embezzled the fund or he was involved in the murder of Benazir Bhutto and let the law takes its path. I don’t think I need to repeat the reasons.
The intensity of hate against Musharraf in the hearts and minds of Nawaz Sharif and Zardari, Aitzaz Ahsan, Muneer A. Malik and many others did not let them put the honesty, justice, and national interest over and above their personal agenda.
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