President General Pervez Musharraf has said a conspiracy is being hatched against him and the country over the reference against the chief justice of Pakistan. Addressing a public gathering of some 30,000 people at Pakpattan on Saturday, Gen Musharraf said he was confident that with the nation’s support, he would overcome the “intrigues” against him and the government. The president asked people not to protest on the roads against the suspension of the chief justice, as this would hamper Pakistan’s development and damage its image. He urged both protestors and the police to “exercise restraint” and not resort to violence.
Gen Musharraf said he had no personal differences with the chief justice. He said the reference was prepared by the government and it was his legal and constitutional duty to refer it to the Supreme Judicial Council. He stressed that he had only acted upon the advice of the prime minister and some ministers. He said some people were “doing politics and hatching conspiracies against me and the country on an issue which is legal and constitutional”. He reiterated that he would accept whatever verdict the Supreme Judicial Council made on the reference.
Referring to Friday’s police action against private TV channel Geo in Islamabad and bomb hoax at the Geo office in Karachi, the president said the incident was “very unfortunate” and condemned it. He said an investigation had been launched to determine who was behind the police assault on the television station. He said the action was an attempt to malign him. “I am blamed for everything,” he said.