News
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Senate demands Musharraf’s trial for high treason* Upper House passes resolution against former president
* Demands arrest of Musharraf upon his arrival in Pakistan
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday unanimously passed a resolution, seeking to try former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution, and arresting him upon his arrival in Pakistan.
The resolution was moved with support of all political parties in the House, except the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid. The Upper House of parliament, however, passed the resolution when it was put for vote.
Pakistan People’s Party Senator Mian Raza Rabbani moved the resolution, accusing the former president of twice holding the Constitution of Pakistan in abeyance, brining into disrepute the judiciary and removing, ridiculing and arresting judges of superior courts.
“Musharraf aided, abetted and is an accomplice in the murders of late Benazir Bhutto and Nawab Akbar Bugti,” the resolution said, adding that the former president committed “numerous crimes of criminal nature against the people of Pakistan”.
The resolution said that Musharraf’s policies and use of state force in Balochistan led to the loss of innocent lives. It also accused him of “sponsoring” disappearance of citizens and compromising national security interests through clandestine deals and unwritten agreements with foreign governments.
The resolution also charged the retired general with destroying the national economy. “His economic policies widened economic disparity between various classes of people, created monopolies, promoted cartels and gave rise to crony capitalism,” the resolution said.
It also said that the former military dictator destroyed the federal structure, ringed on provincial autonomy, reduced the share of the provinces in the NFC Award and gave rise to horizontal and vertical polarisation.
“Therefore, the House resolves that for these amongst other facts, reasons, acts, breaches and grounds, he be arrested immediately on his arrival in Pakistan and the federal government instituted a case under Article 6 of the Constitution against him,” said the resolution, which sailed through easily without a single voice against it.
The chairman of the Senate asked the members to start a debate if they wanted to take part in the discussion on the resolution.
Raza Rabbani said that the resolution was “self-explanatory” and the members did not want any discussion on it.
Separately, the majority of senators also gave arguments in support of a resolution to declare Urdu an official language.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk