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Musharraf ‘shedding crocodile tears’, says ex- Pak SCBA chief

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Sep.19 (ANI): Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association’s former President Aitzaz Ahsan has said that former President General Pervez Musharraf is ‘shedding crocodile tears’ while admitting that removing Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry from office in 2007 was a mistake.

Referring to Musharraf’s speech at Trinity University in Saint Antonio, Texas, where the former general admitted that he had committed a mistake while sacking the then Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) from office, Ahsan said Musharraf had committed not only one but two mistakes by removing the higher judiciary and imposing an emergency in the country on November 3, 2007.

Talking to a private television channel, Ahsan said the government and the ‘independent’ judiciary should play their role in trying Musharraf under high treason charges.

He said it was not the right time for lawyers to take their struggle to roads, as they did previously while demanding restoration of the judiciary, The News reports.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) has denied that Musharraf had taken the cabinet into his confidence before promulgating the Provisional Constitutional Ordinance (PCO) and imposing the emergency rule in 2007.

Interacting with media persons during an Iftaar party hosted by PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, several party leaders rejected the notion regarding Musharraf consulting the cabinet before taking the illegal and extra-judicial actions. (ANI)

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‘Pak Govt. should take initiative for Musharraf’s trial’

August 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Karachi, Aug. 9 (ANI): A prominent Pakistani legal expert has said the PPP-led government should take the initiative to prosecute former president Pervez Musharraf for violating the constitution.

The Dawn quoted former Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan, as saying that the apex court had declared Musharraf’s as actions as illegal, but it could not try the former dictator since it was not a trial court.

Speaking at a general body meeting of the Karachi Bar Association, Ahsan praised the neutrality of the judges, who were affected by Musharraf’s November 3 emergency declaration.

Although Musharraf’s steps had affected all judges of the bench, they did not lodge any case against him and his associates for unlawfully detaining them with their children for around five months, he said.

At a time when nobody was ready to raise his voice against Musharraf, it was the legal community which forced him to doff his uniform, and allowed the exiled political leaders to return to the country, Ahsan said. (ANI)

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Taliban nurturing child ‘suicide bombers’ to strike across Pakistan

April 24, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Apr.23 (ANI): The Taliban is recruiting children and teenagers in Pakistan to transform them into suicide bombers to carry out deadly attacks across the country, in which scores of people have been killed in the recent past.

According to a report in the Daily Times, at least 5000 child suicide bombers aged between 10 to 17 years have been trained by the Taliban till now, and are waiting to strike at the orders of their masters.

Intelligence sources said hundreds of more children are undergoing brainwashing at several ‘suicide nurseries’ run by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

After the training period is over, most of these child suicide bombers are sent to Afghanistan to target the allied forces and Afghan security forces, while some of them are kept back in Pakistan for carrying out attacks like the one on a Shia mosque in the Chakwal district in which 26 persons were killed and over 50 persons were wounded.

The severity with which Mehsud is nurturing these teenagers can be gauged from the fact that when the authorities detained 15 year old Aitzaz Shah, from the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), he told the officials that he was deployed as the “backup bomber” for Benazir Bhutto’s assassination by Mehsud’s men.

Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007. (ANI)

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Chaudhry not restored under any deal: Aitzaz Ahsan

April 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, Apr.9 (ANI): Pakistan Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was not restored as a result of any deal, former Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan said on Thursday.

Addressing the lawyers here, he said that Chaudhry would continue to provide justice to the masses through suo motu notices.

Last month, Chaudhry said that the real judiciary had been restored after a long time and now the dignity of the court and institution would have to be restored. He also said that the judiciary would have to be cleaned of corruption.

Speaking after resuming his duties as Chief Justice, Chaudhry said that irregularities would not be tolerated in dispensing justice.

He added that the stories of corruption from civil judge to Supreme Court were common, and urged upon the lawyers to co-operate with him in stamping out corruption.

Justice Chaudhry further said if there was any complaint of irregularity, then a petition could be filed in the Registrar Office.

He said he was thankful to the people on their struggle for restoration of judiciary. (ANI)

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Sacked judges restored in line with Benazir’s promise: Aitzaz

March 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Rawalpindi (Pakistan), Mar.18 (ANI): Former Supreme Court Bar Association president and leader of the lawyers’ Long March, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan said Wednesday that the restoration of the deposed judges was in accordance with the promises made by slain former Prime Minister and PPP leader Benazir Bhutto.

Talking to newsmen after visiting the Benazir’s memorial here, he said martyrs never die and she is also with us in this gathering.

“We renew our pledge of complete loyalty with her,” he said.

Ahsan offered prayers and laid a floral wreath on the memorial.

Ahsan’s statement came two days after agitating lawyers, political activists and former PM Nawaz Sharif propelled Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to his rightful position as the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

In a swift response to President Asif Ali Zardari’s acceptance of the need to restore judges deposed by President General Pervez Musharraf in 2007, Sharif, who had set off on a ‘Long March’ from Lahore to Islamabad on Sunday, ended the agitation and declared victory.

Following intense pressure mounted by Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the United States, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani announced in a televised address to the nation that Chaudhry and other judges sacked in November 2007 would be reinstated.

As Pakistan celebrated people’s power, Chaudhry described his re-instatement as a “great success” for the two-year-long agitation led by the country’s legal community. He will resume office on March 21.

Ahsan then said that for the chief justice to be able to work, he must have the cooperation of the government.

“We appeal to the government to cooperate with the chief justice and not create hurdles for him,” Ahsan said. (ANI)

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Zardari starts reconciliation with estranged PPP leaders

March 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Mar. 18 (ANI): In a bid to bring estranged party leaders back into the PPP mainstream and bridge the cracks within his party, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has started reconciliation efforts by inviting estranged leaders for talks.

On Wednesday, Zardari has invited leader of the house in Senate Raza Rabbani and former PPP Sindh secretary-general Nafees Siddiqui for a meeting in the Presidency as a reconciliatory measure.

“During the meeting, the president is likely to take Rabbani into confidence over his decision of nominating Naik for the top slot of the Senate.

He is also likely to persuade him to take back his previous ministry or the Law Ministry, whichever he likes,” the Daily Times quoted sources, as saying.

Sources also claimed that Zardari had also asked Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali – Rabbani’s close friend – to persuade him.

“As for Nafees Siddiqui, he will be persuaded to continue in his previous capacity of the party’s provincial secretary-general,” the sources said.

Another senior party Aitzaz Ahsan apart from others, who supported the restoration the sacked judges, is also likely to be brought back into the party’s mainstream.

“The president is likely to call Aitzaz for a meeting soon,” a presidency source claimed.

As far as former information minister Sherry Rehman is concerned, some PPP leaders are believed to have launched a campaign to isolate her for supporting independence of media.

Sources quoted PPP leaders, who said Rehman had put the party in an embarrassing situation at a crucial time.

Similarly, the sources said Senator Safdar Abbasi and his wife Naheed Khan are also out of favors in the party for defying the leadership. (ANI)

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Rifts surface within Zardari’s PPP

March 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, Mar. 15 (ANI): With resignation of two key members from the Pakistan cabinet, and the pass up of several unpopular decisions, cracks have begun to appear within the ruling Pakistan People’s Party.

Among the controversial decisions are the imposition of governor’s rule in Punjab, the appointment of ‘blue-eyed’ figures to key slots, the cornering of close aides of Benazir Bhutto, the use of force against political workers and the media. This has perturbed a majority of PPP members, The News reports.

The declining popularity of the party can be gauged by the recent resignation of Raza Rabbani and Sherry Rehman.

Raza Rabbani resigned from as the leader of the House in the Senate and then from the cabinet in protest against the nomination of Farooq H Naek as the Senate chairman.

Earlier, Naheed Khan, Dr Safdar Abbasi and Aitzaz Ahsan were also cornered.

The resignation of Information Minister Sherry Rehman is being seen as a great blow to the credibility of the PPP.

Sources said party stalwarts have started to criticise the controversial decisions and are concerned about the PPP’s fate in the next polls without a leader like Benazir Bhutto.

A senior party leader stressed that the PPP leadership would have to review several of its decisions otherwise the party would suffer. (ANI)

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Sharif was offered bribe to accept PCO judiciary: PML (N)

February 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Feb.25 (ANI): Pakistan Muslim League (N) has said that Federal Government had tried to bribe Nawaz Sharif , and asked him to recognise the PCO judiciary.

Talking to mediapersons after a Supreme Court verdict which disqualified former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif from contesting elections, PML (N) leader Pervez Rashid said the government had offered Sharif that if he recognised PCO judiciary, he would be declared eligible for contesting polls and his brother would not be dethroned from Punjab chief minister’s chair.

“But the PML (N) downed the offer,” The News quoted Rashid, as saying.

A three member Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Musa K. Laghari, disposed-off the Sharif’s electoral eligibility case on Wednesday. This in effect means that Shahbaz Sharif is Punjab Chief Minister.

Furious over the two line verdict, their lawyer, Akram Sheikh, said the decision was not surprising as the judges were only abiding by orders given to them by the Government.

“Sharif brothers were declared ineligible on the orders of President Zardari,” Sheikh said.

He said now the people of Pakistan will decide whether the verdict is on merit or not.

Latest reports from Lahore said that PML-N activists have taken to streets in protest against the apex court’s decision.

Almost all political parties have voiced their dismay over the verdict.

Commenting on the verdict, Pakistan Muslim League (N) Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal compared Zardari to former President General Pervez Musharraf, and charged him with following the policies of the previous military regime.

“PML (N) would not tolerate a one-man state and Shahbaz Sharif is still the Chief Minister of Punjab constitutionally,” Iqbal said.

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain termed it as ‘sad’ decision, and said that it should not be celebrated by any party.

Former Supreme Court Bar Association President Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan termed the decision as a ‘biased’ verdict. (ANI)

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