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Today's Paper | November 28, 2024

Published 30 Apr, 2013 08:05am

The Musharraf case

THIS is apropos Tanveer Ahmad Haral’s letter (April 24). I would like to correct Mr Haral that it was the Allahabad High Court, and not the Ahmedabad High Court, which confirmed the use of government transport facilities during her campaign.

I wonder what is the source of his claim that Musharraf wanted to abrogate the constitution. Whatever he did, he always took his corps commanders and senior generals into confidence. Musharraf did not plan the coup d’état. He was asked by the prime minister to represent him on the 50th anniversary function for the founding of the Sri Lankan army, and just a few weeks earlier Nawaz Sharif had also made him the chairman of joint chiefs of staffs committee, the highest position in the three armed forces.This showed the prime minister’s full confidence in him.

How come Musharraf became in such a short time so undesirable that he ordered his dismissal while he was returning by a PIA flight boarded with about 300 passengers among whom were over 90 students of an American school?

Meanwhile, the generals and GHQ having known through radio and TV that the prime minister had dismissed their chief, the seniormost general after consulting the available corps commanders ordered the triple one brigade to arrest the prime minister, control PTV and Radio Pakistan. Meanwhile, Lt - Gen Usmani reached the airport, went to the control tower and informed his chief that Karachi airport had been cleared and the plane could land. This was the third time Nawaz Sharif had removed an army chief.

What happened then is well-known to the nation. I would advise the writer to dust Musharraf’s book and go through it. Yes, his corps commanders insisted that Gen Musharraf impose martial law, which he refused. My letter is meant to tell TV anchors to know that the former president had at no stage imposed martial law. Pakistanis should read his book which was one of the world’s best-sellers in 2006.

ZAKERYA KAZMIKarachi

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