No exit
 

No exit
Thursday, April 03, 2014
From Print Edition
The News,,,,

The strange saga of former president General Pervez Musharraf, which began soon after his arrival back in the country ahead of the May 2013 elections continues. Going somewhat against the expectations and predictions of many, the government has decided that Musharraf’s name will not be removed from the ECL. The interior ministry has communicated to Musharraf that he will, therefore, not be able to leave the country. The former president and army chief had put in an application seeking permission be granted to him to travel to the UAE to see his mother who is reported to be unwell. The Special Court hearing the case regarding high treason had lobbed the ball into the government’s court by declaring that the matter of the removal of his name from the ECL did not fall under its jurisdiction. The decision for the government was clearly not an easy one. A long meeting of the federal cabinet was held, presided over by the PM, during which it is understood that two different groups emerged – one favouring the departure of Musharraf and the other holding out against it. Nawaz Sharif also met with both COAS Raheel Sharif and ISI chief Zaheerul Islam. From a purely legal point of view, the government has got it right. There is surely no one who believes that Musharraf will return to the country to face trial once he has tended to his ailing mother and sought treatment for his own medical issues. Many will frame the issue in purely personal terms – that of an embittered Nawaz Sharif exacting revenge on his nemesis. While certain members of the party, such as Saad Rafique, have been unnecessarily vindictive following the indictment, this is not fair to a government that has been following the law in this case and deferring to the courts. The fact is that as much as many may desire to move on from the Musharraf era, the only way we can truly put his dictatorship behind us is by ensuring that the mistakes from that time are not repeated. For now, a door has been closed on the former dictator. He could appeal the decision and what his final fate will be remains to be seen.

The scenes that we are witnessing tell a story that, like a fable, has immense significance in terms of lessons learned. For what could count as the first time in our history, it seems there has been no effective intervention from forces outside the government on behalf of the former COAS and while the men in khaki are said to have been consulted it would seem they have not taken a very strong stand. In this way, democracy and justice are the winners. And if this is the case, then the army too deserves credit. This augurs well for the future of our country. We must hope they will continue to hold out against the pressures that are already mounting. It has been clear for some time that Musharraf himself has been making every possible effort to evade the law. There are now voices beginning to speak out for him. But it is the facts that speak the whole truth; and these facts are that in November 2007 Pervez Musharraf violated the constitution as he clamped a vicious, illegal emergency. The signs are that Musharraf’s trial will now proceed but the government has left itself an out. It said that it will have no objections if the courts remove Musharraf from the ECL. Since the special court has already ruled that this is a decision for the government to take, the back-and-forth should now come to an end. As long as Musharraf is in the country, though, there will always be some who are wary that rule of law will continue to be followed.