Zardari, not Gen Kayani, restored judges: Rehman Malik

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate’s Committee on Interior and senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party Senator Abdul Rehman Malik in a wide ranging interview to The News and Jang revealed that it was former President Asif Ali Zardari who took the decision of Restoration of the Judges not of General (R) Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani.

In an interview with a panel of The News and Jang he narrated the incidents of restoration of the Judges, dialogue between Benazir Bhutto Shaheed and General (R) Pervez Musharraf, the conspiracy to dissolve the PPP government and also spoke on the accountability laws in the country as well as calls for the formation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Turning the leaf from history, former Interior Minister Rehman Malik said when General (R) Pervez Musharraf was a President and the leadership of the PML-Q was making statements against the leadership of the PPP then he went to Musharraf with a proposal to change the leadership of the PML-Q but Musharraf rejected his proposal saying that he could not do as Chaudhry Brothers were his close friends. “Then I told him that if the PML-Q leadership was not changed then he should ready to face impeachment,” he said adding that during the negotiations the name of Manzoor Wattoo was also come under discussion as a alternative leadership of the PML-Q but there was no agreement on Manzoor Wattoo.

While giving the reasons for the resignation of the ex-President General (R) Pervez Musharraf, Senator Rehman Malik said General (R) Musharraf hatched a conspiracy to dissolve the PPP government through using Article 58 (2) b of the Constitution and it was drafted at the Governor House in Karachi, which was vetted by an Ex-Judge of the Supreme Court. “But I got information of it and immediately brought this into knowledge of Asif Ali Zardari, who was in China at that time. He foil this attempt and decided to impeach General (R) Pervez Musharraf,” he said.

Giving details of another page of history with regard to restoration of the judges, Senator Rehman Malik revealed that it was Asif Ali Zardari who made the decision of restoration of Judges not General (R) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Narrating the story of restoration of Judges, Senator Rehman Malik said he was Interior Minister at that time and he got an information that Nawaz Sharif, Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Imran Khan will be in one truck in long march and there was an intelligence report that a suicide attack will be made on them so he sent a message to Nawaz Sharif asking him that he should make a speech through screen but he refused. I was chairing a meeting in which DG Rangers, Secretary Ministry of Interior and IGs were in the meeting and it was our decision for the restoration of the judges as if the suicide attack was made on Nawaz Sharif then it would be difficult for the government to continue. I made a telephone call to President Zardari at 12.00 am and told him about the whole situation and convince Asif Ali Zardari for the restoration of judges.