News
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Musharraf will face arrest if returns: PM* Gilani says constitution provides president immunity, both at home and internationally
* Claims prime minister, foreign minister also enjoy immunity
LAHORE: Former president Pervez Musharraf will definitely be arrested if he returns to the country, CNN quoted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as saying on Friday.
“In fact, there had been murder charges against him, and there had even been some very grave charges against him, and the Supreme Court had already given a verdict against him,” Gilani was quoted as saying at the Global Economic Forum in Davos. “Certainly when he’ll come back, he has to face those charges and certainly be arrested,” the prime minister said.
Musharraf had announced plans to return from exile in late January and to contest the upcoming elections, but his party later said he was reassessing those plans when the Pakistan government warned that if he returned he would be arrested. The Senate has passed a resolution demanding Musharraf be arrested and tried for treason for unconstitutional acts during his regime.
Among the charges against Musharraf are the 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. A UN report in 2010 accused the Musharraf-led government of failing to protect Bhutto. Musharraf, who has been living in London and Dubai since resigning in 2008, has denied the allegations. Gilani was reported as saying there were a “lot of challenges” in the war on terrorism, including militancy in the country’s northwest region.
Responding to a question during an interview, Gilani said the Constitution of Pakistan provides complete immunity to President Asif Ali Zardari, not only in the country but transnationally. He further said that even the prime minister and foreign minister enjoy immunity. On the war against terror, he said, “We are fighting for our own selves, for our own survival, because these militants, they have killed 30,000 innocent people, 5,000 brave soldiers,” he said. The fight against terrorism has caused a “loss of economy”, the prime minister said. “Yes, we are fighting a war on extremism and terrorism, and we’re a frontline state, yes, there are a lot of challenges. But it doesn’t mean that there is no investment coming to Pakistan. We have offered very lucrative incentives for investment in Pakistan and there are a lot of investment coming to Pakistan,” he said.
Gilani warned of the widening technological advancements between the developed and the under-developed world and urged the need to bridge the gap to ensure a uniform socio-economic progress at all tiers. The prime minister said the high costs of connectivity and lack of telecommunication infrastructure, particularly in the rural areas, was one of the major problems of the developing countries. He said there was a need to find ways and means to bridge this divide. His government, he added, accords high priority to education and would ensure they are provided all facilities in this regard.
The prime minister also called for creating a positive and enabling environment for international peace, security and cooperation, saying it was vital for revival of the global economy. He said full revival of growth and macro-economic stability can only be achieved through a collaborative approach by all the stakeholders. Regarding the need for employment and social stability, Gilani said labour markets were vital to cater to the needs of 190 million unemployed and over 500 million job seekers, worldwide. He called for providing young people self employment through micro entrepreneurship. daily times monitor/agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk