Pirzada sees no reason for Nawaz Sharif’s exile

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Lawyer Abdul Hafiz Pirzada on Monday said there was no reason to exile former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Talking to a private TV channel, he said Mr Sharif should have been tried in Pakistan if there were cases against him. He said there was no provision in the law to exile someone. “There is a law to keep someone in the country, but not to exile him,” he said.

Talking about the political situation in the country, Mr Pirzada said the Legal Framework Order (LFO) could be resolved by talks. The government and the opposition would gain if they resolved the issue amicably, he added. “The LFO cannot be part of the constitution unless the parliament approves it,” he said.

He said General Pervez Musharraf “would not find indemnity until he legalises his election as president by the parliament”. “Going from democracy to military rule is a matter of moments, but a transition from military rule to civilian rule takes time’” he said.

Mr Pirzada said he was optimistic about Pkistan’s future. The political situation and differences among various components of the government were temporary and posed no threat to the integrity of the country, he added.

He said the judiciary was prone to criticism when it was dealing with high profile political cases, which were only the prerogative of the parliament. “The judiciary’s graph shoots up when it gives a popular judgment and falls when its judgment goes, for example, in favour of a general,” he said. He said Benazir Bhutto should have come back to lead her party during the elections. “Benazir’s decision to stay abroad was a mistake,” he said.

He said the parties of Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto and Altaf Hussain suffered in the elections due to their absence. “If they come back in the next elections, the results will be different,” he said. He praised President Pervez Musharraf for fulfilling his promise to hold elections in three years. The best thing was that despite amendments in the constitution, the spirit of the document remained intact during the military rules of Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf, he said. He said the institutions in the country were not strengthened since independence. “Parliament has never been allowed to function smoothly,” he said. Mr Pirzada said he was too old for politics, but he was always ready to advise whoever wanted it.

Home | National