Musharraf's Trial

After humiliating defeat and rejection of Musharraf’s artificial PML-Q by the people, there is news circulating that Musharraf is contemplating stepping down. His stepping is also suggested by 3 US senators and some influential generals in the Army. Musharraf’s stepping down may well be the only good act by him but that shouldn’t be on the expense on pardoning him for all his illegal acts that has lead Pakistan to a very sad and torrid time. On Musharraf’s exit (whether voluntary or involuntary) one thing must happen, he shouldn’t be allowed to exit freely and easily. He must be tried for all the atrocities he committed during his 9 years of tyrannic rule.

Now that his former ISI head (Retd. Lt. General Ehtisham Zamir) has openly confessed that he rigged and manipulated the 2002 elections on instructions of Musharraf, it is not arguable but certain that both his elections as a President through rigged and manipulated mandate are void hence rendering all his acts in the capacity of a Head of State voidable and ultra vires. All the actions such as killing of innocent people in Tribal areas and Baluchistan, killings of leaders like Bugti, siding with the rapist and widespread abuse of the rights of women, twice removing and locking up of the top judicial brass and lawyers, Lal Masjid oppression that may have killed more than a thousand, giving up the sovereignty of the Country and abrogation of the Constitution on his whims and wishes were not sanctioned by his party, as it is now being asserted openly in public by the Choudhry’s of Gujarat that they opposed all these acts yet Musharraf’s committed these acts through his unity of command ideology.

Musharraf’s acts were certainly illicit because a) his appointment as a President was illegal and b) his party men are now saying that they never sanctioned those acts. On the foregoing, Musharraf should be tried for all that he did to us, letting him go easily would send a very wrong signal to the dictators i.e. “they can get away with any damn thing”. Let the court decide whether this man has also challenged the writ of the law and if found guilty he should face the consequences and meet his destiny.

There is nothing wrong in trying someone who is alleged of committing crimes, this happens all the time and all over the world. Trying Musharraf would only send out a message that nobody is above the law and people who talk of challenging the writ of the government from every roof top should first look at their actions. Trying Musharraf would not be a bad thing and above all we have even hanged one of our premiers who was tried but not proved guilty in the court of law then why not try Musharraf.

Ghoraba

Karachi, Sindh