ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: Gen Musharraf made the first violation of the constitution after its restoration by taking oath as President, said Ahsan Iqbal, the chief coordinator and chairman of media committee of PML-N.

In a statement here on Saturday, he said under article 41 of the Constitution, election of the President had to take place within 30 days of the general election to the assembly and no government servant could become President of Pakistan unless a period of two years had elapsed since he ceased to be in government service.

“Gen Musharraf has no constitutional capacity to take oath for the office of the President and the Chief Justice of Supreme Court has also over stepped his authority by administering an illegal oath,” he added.

He said after swearing in of the National Assembly, legal framework order had lost its status and President had no authority to keep provisions of the Constitution relating to Senate and provincial assemblies suspended.

The Election Commission should immediately announce schedule for the election of the President under the ’73 Constitution, he said.

He said PML-N would not compromise on its principled stand of ensuring supremacy of the 1973 Constitution and parliament.

“Our priority right now instead of being part of government formation is party mobilization,” he said adding the PML-N was targeted by Gen Musharraf in October elections but it had survived the worst kind of victimization.

“We will prepare for the next elections and just as PPP rebounded after Zia‘s exist, the PML-N would rebound in the next elections with big majority, as its policies of national self-reliance and economic development can steer the country out of current economic crisis.”

He said the central working committee of the party had approved a 15-member mobilization committee to supervise the party mobilization work all over the country, whose names would be announced very shortly.

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