Handing over 4,000 Pakistanis to US: APML ready for inquiry into allegations against Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) President, Dr Muhammad Amjad, here on Wednesday, while addressing a press conference at the central secretariat, said that an independent judicial forum may be constituted to probe the veracity of allegations that whether or not General Pervez Musharraf handed 4,000 Pakistanis over to the US.

If it is proved that the General Musharraf handed over Pakistanis to the US, the APML chairman is ready to face the consequences, but if it is proven otherwise, the persons levelling such allegations should also be held accountable and penalised, he said.

Dr Amjad said that such allegations are baseless. General Musharraf, however, handed 369 al-Qeada militants over to the US. The APML president demanded judicial investigation of these allegations.

Dr Amjad said that General Musharraf has certain apprehensions regarding his personal security but even then he would come to Pakistan to lead his party and Pakistan Awami Ittehad’s (PAI) election campaign. He is not willing to become prime minister of this country, but he wants to lead and guide an honest and competent government for the betterment of this country.

Talking about the present government, Dr Amjad said that these people talks about the sanctity of vote on one hand and on the other they have started a smearing campaign to defame national institutions.

He said that the APML, in collaboration with its coalition parties under the banner of PAI, would organise a massive public meeting in Karachi in the first week of May. The APML and PAI would start a movement with a slogan-- ‘Mulk Bachao, Chour Bagao’ (Save the country…Chase the Thieves)--. In this regard we would organise country-wide public meetings, conventions and seminars, he added.

Before Ramadan, APML would organise a conference in Islamabad to set its priorities for awarding party tickets to the candidates. General (R) Musharraf will chair this conference, and it will also be decided that whether all the parties in the PAI would contest elections on a single election symbol or on different symbols of their parties.

Regarding establishment of new provinces in the country, Dr Amjad said that the APML not only supports for the province of South Punjab, but it also supports for Hazara and Potohar provinces. We want equal rights for people belonging to all areas of the country.

Our manifesto is based on the principles of equality, justice, health, education, employment and provision of all basic rights to the citizens without any discrimination of cast, creed or religion. With that equality of everyone before the law is the basic principle of our manifesto, Dr Amjad said. To a question, Dr Amjad said that General (R) Pervez Musharraf is not a representative of any lingual community. He is a national leader and the APML has also invited MQM and PSP to join PAI coalition, he also said.

He said that General Musharraf don’t want to become either president or prime minister of this country, but he only wishes to lead and guide a government comprising patriotic Pakistanis. Press conference was also participated by the members and leaders of Pakistan People’s Party, Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam and Tanawal Grand Jirga, including Qasim Khan Kohistani, Sajjad Tanoli, Sardar Mubarak, Engineer Muhammad Amjad Baig and Salim Khan Tanoli.

Expressing their confidence in the APML leadership, the said persons announced their association with the APML, including hundreds of their party workers and supporters. President KP APML Aurangzeb Khan Mohmand and General Secretary Sultan Bacha were also present at the occasion.