I will continue in office till my mission is over: Musharraf

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, DEC. 20. The Pakistan Chief Executive, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, tonight categorically denied that the military is planning to hand over the reins of power to a civilian government in the aftermath of exile of the former Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, along with his family to Saudi Arabia.

Addressing the nation on the state-controlled television and radio to `clear doubts and counter misinformation campaign' on the exile, Gen. Musharraf asserted that he was not a `deserter' and he was determined to continue in office to complete his mission.

The Pakistan press has been agog with reports that the military was working on an exit strategy since the departure of Mr. Sharif. Implied in the remarks is the suggestion that the military would continue to be at the helm of affairs till the deadline of October 2002 given by the Pakistan Supreme Court for holding elections.

Gen. Musharraf vehemently justified the decision of his Government to exile Mr. Sharif and said that it would usher in an era of ``hate free and money free politics''. He came down heavily on Mr. Sharif and another former Prime Minister, Ms. Benazir Bhutto, for their ``politics of hatred'' that had seriously undermined the progress of Pakistan.

There were enough hints in his address that the military would keep her out of Pakistan. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led by Ms. Bhutto has been urging her to end her London exile and return home.

In his 45-minute address, Gen. Musharraf was at pains to emphasise the exile was in the best interest of the country and his Government had not given in to any pressure or the result of ``any deal''. It was a consequence of a request made by the Saudi Crown Prince and there were guarantees from Saudi Arabia that the Sharif family would not be allowed to dabble in politics. The Chief Executive came down heavily on what he termed as `drawing room gossip' on the deal and denounced it as `dis-information campaign'.

The Chief Executive said the world community did not approve of `extreme actions' against politicians and considered them as rigid and backward. Gen. Musharraf said he had been flooded with congratulatory messages from across the globe for the bold decision on Mr. Sharif.

He dwelt at length on the various court cases against Mr. Sharif and said from out of the properties left behind by the Sharif family, money would be recovered to pay the fines imposed by courts in various cases against the former Prime Minister.

Gen. Musharraf said his Government took the decision on Mr. Sharif after taking into consideration all aspects and wanted the country to ponder over the shameless manner in which the Pakistan Muslim League and the PPP were once again trying to come together only to demolish the devolution plan and the scheme for local bodies election.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : Ceasefire meaningless, say militant outfits
Next     : 'Thackeray's remarks not worth condemnation'