Parliament should decide Musharraf's fate following SC verdict: Pak PM

Pakistan's Parliament should decide the fate of former president Pervez Musharraf following the Supreme Court's verdict that the emergency imposed by him in 2007 was unconstitutional and illegal, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.
"They (Supreme Court) have given their verdict...I have been saying from day one that Parliament is the forum which has to take these decisions. Let the Parliament decide (the fate of Musharraf)," he said.
Gilani said he did not hold a personal opinion in the matter. "My party (the ruling PPP) will have an opinion and the party will never support a dictator," he said in an interview to a TV news channel when he was asked if Musharraf would be brought to trial.
On Friday, the apex court declared the emergency imposed by Musharraf in November 2007 as unconstitutional and illegal. The ruling has made it possible for the former military ruler to be tried for treason for violating the Constitution. However, such a trial can only be initiated by the government. Gilani said he appreciated the apex court's decision declaring the emergency and Musharraf's subsequent actions as null and void.
As Pakistan now has a free media, strong political forces and an active judiciary, people have more expectations though the government has to act with a balanced approach, Gilani said. "Parliament has to act very maturely," he added.
Meanwhile, former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri has advised the present government to take the route of justice and not vengeance in the case of former president Pervez Musharraf.

The Daily Times quoted Kasuri, as saying that those who referred to Article 6(2) clearly stated that those who helped in the execution or conspiracy of the acts of abrogating or attempting to abrogate or subvert the constitution would be treated alike.
Kasuri said there would be a long list of politicians, judges, bureaucrats and military officers who could be treated as Musharraf's aides.
Kasuri also disclosed that had even offered his resignation in November 2007, but later withdrew it to avoid the impression that he was stabbing the former president in the back.
He said he had advised Musharraf to welcome the reinstatement of judges through the Supreme Judicial Council, but latter had got the impression that some judges were biased against him.
Kasuri said he had also openly opposed Musharraf ruling in uniform in a high-level meeting with then Chief of Staff General Hamid Nawaz and then Inter-Services Intelligence chief General Ashfaq Kayani.
He also noted that the Musharraf government brought a lot of miraculous developments including rapid economic growth.