Tag: military dictator

  • ‘Blackest day in the history of Pakistan’: Bilawal Bhutto on Ziaul Haq’s coup 45 years ago

    ‘Blackest day in the history of Pakistan’: Bilawal Bhutto on Ziaul Haq’s coup 45 years ago

    Foreign Minister (FM) and Chairperson Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari termed July 5, 1977 as “the blackest day in the history of Pakistan”. He reiterated PPP’s commitment to democracy.

    On July 5, 1977, military dictator General Ziaul Haq ousted an elected government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto through a military coup.

    Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the founder of the PPP and the ninth prime minister of Pakistan.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry also tweeted about July 5 and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

    “Today is July 5 when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was overthrown. Today’s political suffocation and situation is close to what it was back in July 5, 1977.” He added that the only difference is that the “PPP is a main player in today’s fascism’”

    Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman called July 5 a dark day in Pakistan’s history.

  • ‘Imran’s Naya Pakistan is Gen (r) Musharraf’s Pakistan’

    ‘Imran’s Naya Pakistan is Gen (r) Musharraf’s Pakistan’

    Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is following the footsteps of former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has ruined national consensus.

    Speaking to PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira on the coronavirus crisis and the evolving political situation in the country, Zardari criticised the government, saying that it wants to curtail constitutional and financial powers of provinces.

    “This government is fighting the opposition instead of fighting coronavirus,” he said.

    Referring to PPP’s past tenure, the former president stated that when he came to power in 2008, the country was a victim of terrorism and division. “We conducted the Swat operation through national consensus and brought peace [throughout the country],” the former president asserted.

    The PPP and the PTI have been trading barbs over the past few weeks. On Tuesday, after being criticised for the second consecutive day by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the Parliament House, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had demanded that the foreign minister either withdraw his statement against PPP or resign from his position.

    The minister had spoken at length about PPP’s style of governance and the participation of the province in national decision-making, saying that the former ruling party was focused on only provincial politics rather than thinking of the entire country.

  • As Dar’s residence is converted into Panahgah, Musharraf’s farmhouse remains untouched

    As Dar’s residence is converted into Panahgah, Musharraf’s farmhouse remains untouched

    The conversion of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar’s Lahore residence into a Panahgah [shelter home] by the Punjab government is reminiscent of the military rule of Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, who had turned Sharif family’s Model Town residence into Gosha’aye Aafiat — an institution for elderly destitute people — nearly two decades back; while the former dictator’s own farmhouse remains untouched under the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    While this was also pointed out by senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir, it was reported by The News that such an act was last carried out by a military dictator out of vengeance against the Sharifs, who had then departed for Saudi Arabia to live in exile for seven years.

    The present dispensation is a civilian arrangement that has taken the instant decision. While a quick action has been taken against Dar’s property, Musharraf’s Chak Shahzad farmhouse attached by two courts separately has not been touched by authorities to convert it into a shelter home for the poor although he has been sentenced to death and declared a fugitive.

    In November 2016, an Islamabad district and sessions judge attached Musharraf’s farmhouse as the special court trying the dictator for high treason declared him an absconder. The special tribunal ordered the confiscation of his movable and immovable properties.

    According to the details submitted to the special court by the Interior Ministry, he operated nine bank accounts and owned seven immovable properties, including the farmhouse, land in the Army Housing Scheme in Karachi, Khayaban-e-Faisal, Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Karachi, Beach Street, DHA Islamabad and DHA Lahore.

    Musharraf’s wife claims ownership of the farmhouse just like Dar’s spouse does about the Gulber residence, but the latter’s plea has not been accepted.

    In January 2017, the Islamabad district administration had informed a district and sessions court that Musharraf’s properties have been attached in compliance with court orders after he had been declared as a proclaimed offender and absconder in the murder case of Lal Masjid cleric Abdur Rashid Ghazi, the report said.

  • VIDEO: ‘Being tried for treason after serving Pakistan all my life,’ says ailing Musharraf from hospital bed

    VIDEO: ‘Being tried for treason after serving Pakistan all my life,’ says ailing Musharraf from hospital bed

    Former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf has regretted being tried for treason “despite having served Pakistan all his life”.

    In his latest video message from American Hospital Dubai, Musharraf, who is facing a high treason case back in Pakistan for implementing emergency rule and suspending the constitution in 2007, said that he was “very ill”.

    “I keep coming and going to the hospital,” he said, adding that his version of the story “wasn’t being heard”.

    “Even my lawyer Salman Safdar is not being heard by the court,” he said, adding that he had fought wars for Pakistan and served his country for 10 years.

    Musharraf also said that he was ready to record his statement with the commission, provided they came to Dubai.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “As for me, the commission can come here, I can give them a statement. They can come and hear me, see my condition and then decide for themselves. When they return, they can give their statement and my lawyer will be heard in the court too and I hope it is then that I will get justice,” he said.

    The former army chief, who has been residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a while now, felt under the weather Sunday night and was admitted to the hospital. He was set to undergo various tests in this regard.

    Musharraf’s close aide and the ex-chairperson of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), Dr Muhammad Amjad, said the ex-president was rapidly becoming weaker due to an unknown disease, which is why he was unable to return to Pakistan to face the treason case.

    A couple of days ago,Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry had called Musharraf the nation’s benefactor, saying he had “rid the country of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif in 1999”.

    “When Musharraf was in power, a lot of people used to stand queuing up to light his cigar,” he had added.