Sherry asks Musharraf to accept people’s verdict

President Pervez Musharraf should accept the verdict of the people, who want him to resign, as all the four provincial assemblies have also supported the impeachment move of the ruling coalition. This was stated by Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman.

While talking to media outside the Parliament house after attending the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information here on Saturday. “Assemblies are the peoples’ courts, which have expressed the aspirations of the people and they have given a clear verdict by passing resolutions in favour of impeachment”, Sherry Rehman said. She said that President Musharraf had to face impeachment and any decision regarding Musharraf’s trial would be made by the leadership of the ruling coalition.

“There exists a difference between a trial and an impeachment, and the latter is within the parliament’s authority”, she said. “President Musharraf has Article 44, (3), which states that ‘the President may, by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, resign his office.’ Thus if he wants to resign, he can do so”, Sherry Rehman said.

She further said that if he resigned he could avoid the impeachment, and added that the entire situation was before President Musharraf and it was now up to him to decide. She dispelled the impression of any reconciliation with President Musharraf, saying that the President had lost all the opportunities of reconciliation. “We have not received any proposal regarding reconciliation or safe passage of Musharraf from any friendly country”, she added.

She said that President Musharraf would be given an opportunity to respond to the charges levelled against him and thereby defend himself. “We will make the impeachment move completely democratic one”, she said. Sherry Rahman said that the charge-sheet against President Musharraf was on solid grounds and based on constitutional violations he committed during his eight-year tenure.

Replying to a query, she said the impeachment would be decided by vote; and President Musharraf would have the right to defend himself, she reiterated. She said the process of impeachment was being completed in accordance with the parliamentary traditions and rules without any violation.

To another question regarding the security of the people, who migrated from Bajaur Agency after heavy fighting between Army and militants, she said that the evacuees from Bajaur and tribal areas would be provided security.

Earlier, addressing the Senate Standing Committee meeting, the Information Minister said that mobile phone companies had a big role in bringing foreign investment into Pakistan and the advertisements of these companies on different channels would not be stopped.

“It is not possible to focus on veiled women in these advertisements”, she said. She said all advertisements of mobile companies were approved by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) before they were telecast.