Justice Irshad assured Clinton Nawaz won’t be hanged: Mushahid

PESHAWAR: Senior politician Mushahid Hussain Syed has confirmed that former chief justice Irshad Hassan Khan assured the then US President Bill Clinton in the washroom that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif would not be hanged.

This meeting reportedly occurred in a washroom, and Musharraf sent the chief justice to deliver this assurance.

The US president’s visit to Pakistan was focused solely on this one-point agenda and as a result of his intervention, Nawaz was granted relief and subsequently released.

A controversy arose when former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board Nasim Ashraf revealed in his book “Ring Side” that a meeting between US President Bill Clinton and Chief Justice Irshad Hassan Khan occurred in a washroom.

During this meeting, speculations were that President Clinton asked the chief justice whether Nawaz Sharif would be sentenced to death because he wanted to save him.

A few months back, Bill Clinton asked Dr Nasim Ashraf to give his message to General Musharraf that Nawaz Sharif should not be hanged.

Speaking in Waseem Badami’s programme, Mushahid Hussain disclosed that Irshad Hassan Khan shared this account with him while serving as the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan.

“President Musharraf asked me to follow him into the restroom and assure the US president because they didn’t want to talk openly at the lunch,” Justice Irshad told Mushahid.

Mushahid added that during a luncheon hosted by Musharraf, Bill Clinton excused himself to visit the restroom.

Moments later, Pakistan’s Chief Justice Irshad Hassan Khan followed him, and the two had a conversation for a few minutes. Justice Irshad reassured President Clinton that Nawaz Sharif would not be sentenced to death.

Senator Mushahid Hussain also stated that President Clinton’s visit to Pakistan had a singular agenda: securing the release of Nawaz Sharif.