 ISLAMABAD — In a dramatic statement that sent shock waves within the ruling coalition President Musharraf has said he is a soldier, therefore, he could not contest elections, adding he would quit his office the day people withdrew their support for him. “If people want my leadership, they should cast vote in favour of my supporters. If the people retract their support, I will quit power and say goodbye the same day,” he said, while addressing a public gathering in Gilgit at Lalak Jan stadium on Wednesday.
| This doesn't sound like the Perv we know. |
“If people want development, they should support the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) to ensure its success in the next general elections,” he observed, adding that the country would have a better leadership if PML emerged triumphant in the elections. PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and secretary-general Mushahid Hussain Syed were present on the stage.
| Both having a fit of the vapors ... |
Gen. Musharraf did not elaborate but the statement was interpreted by analysts as tacit acknowledgment of the myriad constitutional, moral and political hurdles he would face while contesting elections in uniform and from the present assemblies. Legal experts say that Gen. Musharraf is barred from contesting elections in uniform and should have resigned from the army in November 2005 to qualify for re-election.
| Having the uniform and all the guns behind him didn't seem to hurt his re-election any ... |
The stunning verdict by the Supreme Court annulling the privatisation of the Pakistan Steel Mills has shaken confidence that a military ruler can manipulate judges to secure a verdict of their liking. It is also being debated that Gen. Musharraf would be setting a unique precedent of contesting elections as an army chief. It has never happened in Pakistan despite the fact that the military has ruled the country for most part of its history. Unlike the dubious referendum of 2002, Gen. Musharraf will have faced a contest that would seriously undermine the image of the army.
Similarly, election through present assemblies at the end of their own mandate would be devoid of any moral justification. The opposition can subvert this plan by resigning from the assemblies on the eve of elections and dissolving the NWFP assembly without which the electoral college would be incomplete. Some jurists contend that Gen. Musharraf has already served two terms, first when he took oath in June 2001 before going to Agra to meet then Indian premier Vajpaee and later on November 16, 2005 a couple of hours before newly elected National Assembly was installed. The Constitution forbids the president to see a third consecutive election.
In a bid to control damage, information ministry officials made hectic efforts to stop the electronic media from repeating the story once it was flashed by some private channels. Newspaper editors were also requested not to print the presidential remarks. The advice was ignored by most newspapers who flashed the story with banner headlines. The state-owned PTV, however, dutifully omitted the remarks while telecasting full speech.
PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat was visibly shaken by the statement which caries the potential of a devastating political effect and is likely to demoralise the coalition supporters. In a clarification, Shujaat said that Gen. Musharraf has talked about saying goodbye in lighter vein. “It was a joke which he never meant to be taken seriously,” Shujaat observed.
| "That Perv, what a joker!" he added. |
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