A matter of greed

This refers to the news report ‘4000 Pakistanis handed over to foreigners for dollars during Musharraf regime’ (Apr 17). Justice (r) Javed Iqbal confirmed the reports that state during the tenure of former president, Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, over 4,000 Pakistanis were handed over to foreigners for dollars. This shocking revelation provides an insight into the mindset of the former president. This is a serious issue involving state sovereignty. The culprits involved in this heinous crime must be held accountable and stripped from any benefits, including rank and pension, which they enjoyed because of the post they held when the crime was committed. Pakistan after all is not a Banana Republic. This case has also led to another interesting point: that Musharraf alone could not have managed to hand over 4,000 Pakistanis to foreigners.

Other people must be involved in this criminal activity. There existed a federal government headed by the King’s party, the PML-Q. With revelations coming from none other than Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, who headed the commission, it makes it obligatory and mandatory upon the state and all its institutions to bring the culprits who dared to commit these crimes to book. The constitution doesn’t empower any individual or an institution to unilaterally hand over citizens of Pakistan to another country without due process of law. Even if the Bilateral Extradition Treaty exists between sovereign states, due process has to be followed.

Ali Malik Tariq

Lahore