Pity is small word for Pakistan's General Musharraf

Pity is a small word for General Musharraf

Khalid Kheshgi

 

PESHAWAR: Pity is a small word for President General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf, who after ruling the dice for almost eight years as all powerful despot, saw this day when a female MPA, amid shouts of “Go Musharraf Go”, tore into pieces a picture of the retired general ahead of a resolution in the NWFP Assembly, asking the former military dictator to resign or face the impeachment.

In the 124-member House, only four of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q’s MPAs came to the rescue of President Musharraf when the Awami National Party, Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Muttahida Majlis Amal moved a joint resolution against him in the NWFP Assembly where General (Retd) Musharraf had secured 31 votes in the controversial presidential elections in October 2007. Much to his desperation, the beleaguered President also loss a key ally-the Pakistan People’s Party-Sherpao, prior to his impeachment in the parliament. Five of the PPP-S MPAs backed the anti-Musharraf forces in their move against a person who subverted the Constitution of Pakistan twice by holding it in abeyance while two of PML-Q MPAs stayed away from the proceeding when the author of the book “In the Line of Fire” was under the fire in Frontier Assembly.

Shazia Aurangzeb of the PML-Nawaz felt no mercy for the one-time ‘Kargil Hero’ while tearing down a pictorial poster of Gen. (Retd) Musharraf amid the slogans of “Go Musharraf Go.” The lone PML-Q MPA in the Frontier Assembly rushed to defend her boss from further disgrace but the time she reached to the spot; several pieces of Musharraf’s portrait had touched the ground. The women MPAs were about to enter physical clash on the floor of assembly when sergeant-at-arms forced them to go to their seats.  

It seemed that the treasury benches and anti-Musharraf forces in the NWFP Assembly have planned the humiliation of General (Retd) Musharraf and his well-wishers in advance as they could pass the resolution unanimously by starting the assembly proceeding on its scheduled time. However, instead of 9.30 AM, the day proceeding began at 10.40AM.

The session was started with recitation from Qruan verses of Surah Al-Imran, which means; “O Allah Master of the Kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You Please; and seize the kingdom from whom You please. And You exalt whom You please and You abase whom You please; in Your hands is all goods. No doubt You can do all things.”

Four of the PML-Q MPAs deliberately entered late to the assembly hall at about 11.16 AM when the parliamentary leaders of various political parties were debating on the current political situation in the country. However, as soon as opposition leader and former NWFP chief minister Akram Khan Durrani stood on his seat to read out the resolution, the whole House was echoed with desk thumping and slogans like “Go Musharraf Go” and “Bye Bye Musharraf.”

Interestingly, the NWFP Assembly was referred as “Pakhtoonkhwa Assembly” in the draft of the resolution and except Pir Sabir Shah of the PML-Nawaz, the parliamentary leaders of ANP, PPP and MMA used the term “Pakhtoonkhwa Assembly” while reading out the text of the historical resolution.       

One has to admit the political wisdom of former interior minister and chief of his own faction of the Pakistan People’s Party Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao who on hand sided with the democratic forces against military dictator while on the other kept secret the internal differences within his party in the NWFP Assembly.    

 

Allies turn their back on president

The politics of opportunism showed its true colours in the NWFP Assembly on Tuesday when a political party and some parliamentarians, who reaped the fruits during Musharraf’s eight years rule, left him in the lurch at a time when he needed them most.

The PPP-Sherpao, once a close ally of President Musharraf, and other MPAs who actively backed and participated in the presidential elections in Oct 2007, supported a provincial assembly resolution, demanding of President Musharraf to take a confidence vote or resign from the office; otherwise he would be impeached.

Six of the eight MPAs, who voted in the presidential elections, virtually disowned their previous stand on Tuesday. PPP-S MPA Sikandar Hayat Sherpao, justifying his party stand, told The News NWFP senior minister and ANP parliamentary leader Bashir Ahmad Bilour visited his residence in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Peshawar while PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari made a request to Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao in Islamabad to support the resolution in the NWFP assembly.

“We respect their request for the sake of democracy and the mandate given to them by the people in the general elections,” Sikandar added.A total of 34 MPAs participated in the presidential election held on Oct 6, 2007, of whom 31 ballots were cast in favour of Gen Musharraf, two votes were declared invalid while one had gone to presidential candidate Justice (retd) Wajihuddin.

The ANP, the JI, the PPP and the PML-N had resigned from the NWFP Assembly in protest against what they called controversial presidential election while the JUI-F did not participate in the elections.

Fifteen PPP-S MPAs, nine PML-Q, six independent MPAs and four MMA dissidents had cast their votes in the presidential elections. Qazi Muhammad Asad from Haripur, who has joined the ANP and won berth in the cabinet, was the only PML-Q MPA, who did not turn up during the polling despite the fact that his party had fully supported Gen Musharraf in the presidential election.

Eight of the MPAs, who voted for Gen Musharraf, were re-elected to the NWFP assembly. They were Sikandar Hayat Sherpao, Israrullah Gandapur, Syed Murid Kazim and Attiqur Rehman of the PPP-Sherpao, Qalandar Khan Lodhi, Wajihuzzaman and Nighat Yasmin of the PML-Q and Syed Qalb-e-Hasan as independent.

Provincial ministers Pervez Khan Khattak and Habibur Rehman Tanoli, having affiliation with the PPP-S till recent past, had indirectly supported Gen Musharraf in his election as Liaquat Khattak, brother of Pervez Khattak and Ghazala Habib, daughter of Habibur Rehman Tanoli, had cast their votes in the same controversial election.

Only Qalandar Lodhi and Nighat Aurakzai remained loyal to the military dictator.Interestingly, the then-chief justice of the Peshawar High Court, Justice Tariq Pervez, had presided over the presidential elections held in the provincial assembly, who was later on deposed as a result of Nov 3 action of Musharraf.The lawyers’ community, protesting outside the provincial assembly building, had severely criticised him for presiding over what they called illegal and unconstitutional elections.

 

 

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