For the first time after many months, the National Assembly did appear not wasting a sitting reserved for private initiatives in legislation with senseless use of the points of order. The credit for piloting serious discussions on two substantive issues, the ban on YouTube and ensuring protection to volunteers going door to door with the noble intent of combating polio, surely goes to a diligent PPP legislator, Ms Shazia Marri. Only those journalists, specifically assigned to do ball-to-ball reporting of assembly proceedings, were found sitting in the press gallery, though. Most remained anxious to find out the latest on General (retd) Musharraf.
Perception is far more important than reality in politics. Whatever the truth, most persons even with casual interest in political developments continue to believe that the former military ruler had finally decided to appear before the court after some prodding by his friends and well-wishers. He had now been charge sheeted as well but not bound to appear in person for subsequent hearings.
His 95-year-old mother is under intense watch in a hospital of Sharjah these days and his lawyers have formally applied to seek permission for his traveling to the UAE with the sole intent of attending to her. Most people believe that ‘in return’ to his appearance before the court, the government will now find it extremely difficult to deny him the right to travel that too in a highly emotional context.
Most ministers of Nawaz Sharif feel otherwise. They seriously suspect that Musharraf will not return to Pakistan to facilitate fast track completion of the trial against him and they do not want their government to appear as if facilitating “a usurper in fleeing from justice.”
Nawaz Sharif, reliable sources have revealed, has still not spoken his mind on the subject. Their claim also helps me to now report without any fear of contradiction that hawkish speeches delivered by the trio of Mehmood Achakzai, Khawaja Asif and Pervaiz Sharif in Monday’s sitting of the national assembly were neither scripted nor winked. As a diehard democrat, the Pushtun-nationalist from Balochistan rather took the lead on his own to underline the ‘historic importance’ of a day when a former military dictator had no choice but to appear before the court and politely listen to the charge sheet counting his violations against the Constitution, committed on Nov 3, 2007.
Doing so, he did not want to sound like a heartless person. He rather suggested that the government should arrange an air ambulance to bring Musharraf’s mother to Pakistan with the humane consideration of facilitating him monitoring her treatment. Two weighty ministers, Khawaja Asif and Pervaiz Rashid, immediately pounced at this idea and later owned it as a “formal offer from the government of Pakistan.”
The categorical statements by two hardcore loyalists of Nawaz Sharif should have killed the plethora of speculative stories regarding the possibility of Musharraf leaving Pakistan, but the same has not happened. Most journalists and political workers continue to feel, strongly, that Musharraf will fly off to UAE “anytime”. By summoning some of his trusted aides to Prime Minister’s Office early Tuesday afternoon, Nawaz Sharif rater furnished supporting substance to this feeling.
The first round of consultations with political aides was over when I sat to write this column. After having an exhaustive meeting with the COAS and DG ISI, Nawaz Sharif was again expected to meet his political aides. During the first round of consultations most of them continued sticking to the position that by letting Musharraf fly off, the third Nawaz government would only appear as if succumbing to the pressure, ostensibly mounted by powerful lobbies both from within and outside Pakistan.
Some randomly put questions from Nawaz Sharif during this round strongly suggested that from heart of his hearts the prime minister desired fast track closure of Musharraf’s case, but he is not averse to the idea of “condoning him” if the need be. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, my sources claimed, kept insisting that diligent pursuing of Musharraf under the treason charges might ignite tensions with the elite. Nawaz Sharif would rather look too good, kind and humane by permitting his traveling to the UAE for attending her ailing mother in a historic context. Nawaz Sharif, lest you forget, was not allowed to accompany the coffin of his father when it was brought to Lahore from Saudi Arabia for burial. Some Ministers are not so lo and clear like Chaudhry Nisar in supporting the idea of permitting Musharraf to fly off. Very meekly, though, they keep talking of a potentially explosive blowback, if Nawaz Sharif appeared sticking to his position vis-à-vis Musharraf.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2014.
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