Punjab Assembly passes resolution against President

The Punjab Assembly has on Monday overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding President Pervez Musharraf to seek vote of confidence or resign from the office, and in case of failing to do so, it urged the Parliament to impeach the President.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah tabled the resolution before the House and in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister a total of 321 votes supported the resolution whereas only 25 went against.

The resolution held reservation on the validity or legality of the elections held in October 2007 for the office of the President of Pakistan and stated that the Punjab Assembly is of the view that Pervez Musharraf is unfit to hold the office of the President by virtue of being guilty of violating the Constitution of Pakistan and/or of gross misconduct on the following grounds. Pervez Musharraf had subverted the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan twice by holding it in abeyance. He had violated and undermined the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and derailed the transition to democracy.

It also observed that in terms of Article 41(1) of the Constitution, the office of the President represents the unity of the Republic. Pervez Musharraf had violated the same and has caused to promote inter-provincial tension, a deepened sense of deprivation, denied provincial autonomy, thus leading to weakening the Federation.

The resolution also levelled allegations of creating political and economic crises against the President. It said the policies pursued by Pervez Musharraf during the last eight years have brought Pakistan to the brink of a critical political and economic impasse. “The incompetence and failure of his policies has plunged the country into the worst power shortage in its history and brought unprecedented misery upon the people. His policies have paralysed the Federation and eroded the trust of the nation in key national institutions,” it added.

On these grounds, the House through the adoption of the resolution called upon Pervez Musharraf to take a vote of confidence from his electoral college or resign in terms of Article 44(3) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan immediately. In case, he fails to do so, it urged the Parliament to give notice of impeachment in accordance with Article 47 of the Constitution.

On the occasion, the Punjab Chief Minister said he salutes the House for adopting the resolution and congratulated both PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari for their bold move against the President. He said the adoption of the resolution gives a meaning to Benazir Bhutto’s martyrdom.

A handful of opposition members, led by opposition leader Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, opposed the resolution on the ground that it was being done in haste. They complained that the treasury benches have violated the Rule of Businesses of Punjab Assembly by suspending the House affairs for taking up the resolution. However, the Speaker gave a ruling against them and permitted the Punjab Law Minister table the resolution before the House.

The opposition also observed that the treasury benches did not provide a draft of the resolution, which in their opinion was badly drafted and they could have improved it. They said the government has adopted a policy of confrontation with national institutions and if they are really concern about the country then why the PPP government has backed out from the Kalabagh Dam. They held the treasury benches responsible for making the Punjab a breeding ground for conspiracies.

The opposition termed the charges levelled against the President in the resolution as baseless. They pointed out that the Supreme Court validated the subversion of the Constitution. “The critics of ‘dictator’ are the same people who took part in the general elections twice under the presidency of Pervez Musharraf. Also, prices of essential goods accelerated when the new government came in the power this year. It would be appropriate that if National Reconciliation Ordinance was also included in the resolution, which the members of the present government enjoys impunity,” they added.

The members of the treasury benches, including Rana Sanaullah, Senior Minister Raja Riaz and Zulfiqar Ali Khosa, lambasted the opposition for their criticism. They reminded them that this was the same people who in a similar fashion adopted a resolution in which they vowed to elect the President while in uniform. They held President Musharraf responsible for brining the country a bad name in the international community and creating political and economic mess. “Musharraf no more tolerable for even one day and his presence is not good omen for the country. Thus, he should be impeached and held accountable for his actions,” they added.

The treasury benches voted in favour of the resolution while chanting ‘go Musharraf go’ and a mood of jubilation was all around when it was unanimously passed. It was interesting to note that Moonis Elahi, son of former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, left the House when the resolution was being read out by the Punjab Law Minister and did not return for the voting.

After the adoption of the resolution, a majority of the members of the treasury benches left the House, which prompted a member of House to point out the quorum. Thus, on the ground of lack of quorum, the Speaker adjourned the House till Tuesday morning.