Capt Safdar alleges some generals, not army, ousted Nawaz in 1999

GHAZI: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar said here on Thursday that a few generals, and not the whole of Pakistan Army, had imposed martial law in 1999.

Speaking at a public meeting here, he said the army was supporting prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999 but a few generals conspired against the government. He claimed that a few generals plotted the coup and one cannot blame the Pakistan Army for ousting the elected prime minister. "The army was not in favour of imposing the martial law imposed by Pervez Musharraf. It was instead supporting Nawaz Sharif," he claimed.

"Nawaz Sharif is being victimised for promoting the national cause and safeguarding the country's interests," he maintained. He said the former prime minister had braved international pressure and carried out nuclear tests, adding he strengthened the state institutions and was punished for making the country's defense impregnable.

Safdar also lauded the services of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Pir Sabir Shah for the party and his loyalty to Nawaz Sharif. He said Nawaz Sharif started a Rs22 billion gas supply project to Haripur on Sabir Shah's insistence. Pir Sabir Shah and Senator Dr Asif Kirmani also spoke on the occasion.