The statement

It was shocking and disappointing to read General Musharraf’s statement in which he blamed Asif Ali Zardari for the assassination of his wife late Benazir Bhutto. That anyone could make such an open and public statement from abroad without any proper legal notice or methodology, outside of the court of law, and with such impunity, and in such a scandalous and unacceptable manner is shocking. Is such scandal-mongering now the order of the day? It was also disappointing to see that the media not only published but kept repeating this statement made by an alleged criminal. If General Musharraf has anything to say, he should return and surrender himself to the Pakistani police and courts and face his trial. Only then he can make statements that may be taken into cognizance as part of any larger investigations.

The abruptness and sudden nature of these so-called ‘revelations’ are suspicious. Why weren’t they voiced earlier when the person hurling these allegations was here in Pakistan? One can envision that a new conundrum is being brought into being to further confuse the course of justice in this long-drawn case. Instead of indulging in all of the same old dirty tricks and conspiracies that have plagued us over the past 70 years and which have taken a toll on our whole democratic system and made us subservient to a virulent and self-destructive pattern of domination by non-elected forces, the nation must stick by firmly with democratic/legislative and legal norms in order to progress and develop as a responsible and sober society. The media, Pakistani politicians, and all state bodies and institutions are requested to please wake up to the frank and bitter realities of our situation and stop playing these negative ‘games’. They must adopt a serious attitude towards the task of future nation-building. Let national welfare and social, moral integrity come before any personal ambitions.

Mrs Shahwar Saleem Khan (Abbottabad)