Basharat for addressing legal shortcomings in Musharraf verdict

LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Social Welfare Raja Basharat has said that the recent decision against former Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf has given rise to many questions.

He added if the legal shortcomings in the verdict were not addressed, such decisions could be given in case of anyone in the country.

Addressing Punjab Assembly Press Gallery members at PA Cafeteria on Monday, the law minister said that the decision regarding former President Pervez Musharraf had caused huge embarrassment to Pakistan in the entire world. He said the entire world raised voice for human rights and democratic norms, whereas, this decision had ridiculed the country.

While responding to a question about the special court’s verdict regarding Pervez Musharraf, Raja Basharat stated that it was inappropriate to rule that a person’s body must be dragged and hanged at D Chowk if he died before facing the gallows.

To a question about the stance of the opposition on this case, Raja said it was up to the opposition members to decide what they believed. However, he said that shortcomings in the judgment of special court regarding Pervez Musharraf must be resolved, otherwise, such verdicts could come against anyone.

To a question about the cancellation of his licensce by bar association, he said, "Cancelation of law licenses by the bar association may not scare neither me nor the chief minister Punjab. He also said that the government was trying to solve the problems of the masses through record legislation but the attitude of the opposition was very lamentable which had broken the record of boycotting the sessions. Raja Basharat said that the opposition's discourse inside the House was entirely different from that it presented outside of the House before the media, however, the actual point of view was which was offered inside the House.

"Even at a session called in the public interest, the opposition does not play its parliamentary role," the law minister said. He added that the opposition's claim on the Public Accounts Committee was wrong as Shahbaz Sharif had resigned from the PAC of the National Assembly. He said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was seriously controlling the economic crisis and was focusing solution to public problems. He expressed the hope that in its ongoing session, the Punjab Assembly would pass more legislative bills of public interest.