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

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)

Pak-US Society to protest against Geo TV ban in Pakistan

New York, Mar. 14 (ANI): The Pak-American Society is gathering in New York on Saturday to stage a protest against the ban on Geo News transmission in Pakistan.

“This is a dictatorial act perpetrated by a so called civilian government,” The News quoted Pak-American Society President Sham-us-Zaman, as saying.

Many prominent politicians and lawyers, including Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Imran Khan and Ali Ahmed Kurd, are expected to address the protest gathering.

Later, a conference by the name ‘Geo and Jeevay Pakistan’ will be held here which will be addressed through telephone by PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, former President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Aitzaz Ahmed and PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal.

Meanwhile, various national media organizations have strongly condemned the blocking of Geo news in various cities of Pakistan, and they have announced going on a nationwide strike on Sunday.
Karachi Press Club (KPC), Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) and international media organisation “Reporters without Borders” condemned the blocking of Geo news transmission in the country.

The secretary general of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Mazhar Abbas said, “The act of blocking the transmission of any news channel or media cannot be justified. The government starts suppressing the media whenever it finds itself in crises.” (ANI)