(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf should be replaced immediately with a caretaker government ahead of February's elections, according to the country's retired military leaders. The Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society on Thursday called for the former general, Musharraf, to step down immediately saying he was causing serious damage to the country.
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The society demanded Musharraf hand over power to the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to ensure fair and free elections are conducted in the country on 18 February. The organisation includes retired generals, brigadiers, and colonels. Spokesman Air Marshal (R) Asghar Khan said that almost all the ex servicemen unanimously supported the views expressed by the society.
Many of the prominent participants have been the part of ruling military oligarchy, like retired lt. general Faiz Ali Chushti, who led the coup for late General Ziaul Haq, when he was the corps commander of Rawalpindi.
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Retired Lt. general Hamid Gul is credited with creating an Islamic Democratic Alliance in the late 1980s against former prime minister Benazir BhuttoÂ’s Pakistan Peoples Party. Two generals, retired Lt general Asad Durrani and retired Lt. General Talat Masood served as ambassadors in MusharrafÂ’s government, while retired Air Marshal Asghar KhanÂ’s late son was a minister in MusharrafÂ’s cabinet.
Retired Air Marshal Khan said that the meeting was to discuss the society's campaign for the restoration of democracy and freedom of expression. "The society demands President Pervez Musharraf step down after handing rule over to deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry," he said. "Our organisation further suggests that the former chief justice appoint a new caretaker government and election commission to ensure free and fair elections."
He said that the society also proposed that former Justice Rana Bagwandaas become the new chief election commissioner because all political parties had confidence in his honesty.
Khan announced that the society of ex-servicemen wanted rule of law and freedom of expression in the country and that was why it had directed all members to participate in a protest organised by lawyers and journalists on 5 February. While he said the ex-servicemen had supported Musharraf's takeover from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999, because he promised transparent accountability, he had never fulfilled his commitments. "We demand that violators of the constitution should be brought to the justice, but the decision should be carried by a political government" Asghar Khan said. |