Musharraf sent Shujaat to Dr Qadeer for seeking apology

ISLAMABAD: An autobiography of former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain says the then-government of Mian Nawaz Sharif could have been saved if Nawaz had not ordered diversion of the plane of the then Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf.

The book, titled 'Sach To Hai' scheduled to be launched on April 10, carries many revealing details. There is a mention of a meeting held in November 1999 wherein then-chiefs of intelligence agencies sworn on the Holy Quran that they would not disclose to any quarters about the meeting in which decision about extrajudicial killings in Karachi and Punjab was taken.

The 328-page book with 20 chapters describes continuing failures of Nawaz in terms of fulfilling his promises and waiver of the punishment of lashes to Sheikh Rasheed. Mentioning the Musharraf's plane diversion story, Ch Shujaat says according to his information, the army was not willing to topple the Nawaz government. The PML-Q chief mentions that Hamza Shahbaz was in contact with the PML-Q leadership when Nawaz had left for Saudi Arabia and the PML-Q leadership used to resolve his issues.

About a meeting called by Musharraf at Murree in the wake of the murder of Akbar Bugti, Shujaat states that this meeting was attended by the then Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Director General ISI, the DG Military Intelligence, and the DG Intelligence Bureau and the participants were told that people were happy over the killing of Bugti and were distributing sweets.

The PML-Q chief says at that time he intervened reciting a couplet of sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bux "Dushman Mary Tay Khushi Na Karye, Sajna Vi Mar Jana," and asked DG Intelligence Bureau Ijaz Shah to translate the couplet. At that time, Shujaat quotes Musharraf as saying there was no need of translation as the meanings of the couplet were clear.

About the issue of nuclear scientist Dr Qadeer, Shujaat says when the country was facing intense foreign pressure over the allegations of theft of nuclear materials by Dr Qadeer, Mushararf sent barrister S M Zafar and him to Dr Qadeer to convince him to apologise to the nation. "Later, he was asked to meet Dr Qadeer alone," Shujaat says. He said when he met Dr Qadeer, he told him that nuclear materials theft allegations were unfounded and he also took him to the inner side of his house and showed him the furniture of his wife brought after wedding, saying he even could not afford to buy new. Anyhow, the PML-Q chief says Dr Qadeer apologised to the nation and this act of Dr Qadeer enhanced his dignity.

Ch Shujaat says Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had agreed to reconcile with Mushararf. The book describes the Lal Masjid operation, which its author Ch Shujaat had opposed. The PML-Q chief says that is why Abdur Rashid Ghazi had trusted him and before his death he decided to hand over his two adopted daughters to him and those girls are still under his guardianship.