LAHORE - Contradictory statements regarding any deal of PPP with General (r) Pervez Musharraf for his safe exit if he stepped down are continuously pouring in.
Aasia Ishaq, spokesperson of Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League when contacted said: “Musharraf told her that he had not made any deal with the PPP-led government for his safe exit. All claims relating to his alleged deal are just rubbish.”
She claimed that Musharraf resigned from the office of the president on his free will as he did not want to become another Fazal Elahi or Rafiq Tarrar. He did not fear the impeachment threat of the PPP-led ruling coalition.
Aasia said the former president remained in the country for eight months after stepping down from his office and if the deal stories were right then he should left the country immediately after striking the purported deal.” She added Musharraf went abroad three times after his resignation to deliver lectures in different countries.
Musharraf spokesperson remarked that PPP and PML-N are making their political scores in the name of Pervez Musharraf.
On the contrary, Major General (r) Rashid Qureshi, a close aide of Musharraf, said: “Though I was not privy to former president’s political decisions during his last days in office, however, I don’t think that former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had any reason to utter a false statement about the former president. There might be a verbal understanding between the PPP and the former president relating to the matter.”
He said PML-N had always made false statements as the ruling party’s leadership had made a 10-year deal with Musharraf but denied it for long and later acknowledged it by calling it a five-year deal.
Rashid, who was also the spokesman of Musharraf when he was holding the office of president, said: “As far as the reports regarding the former president’s last days’ difficulties is concerned, I can say with certainty that he was not facing a situation which he could not handle with ease.”
The controversy about PPP-Musharraf deal surfaced when former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani uttered a statement that Musharraf had made a deal for his safe exit with the PPP and PML-N was also on board on this matter. But senior PPP leaders, Jahangir Badar and Farhat Ullah Babar rejected the statement of their veteran party leader. They said there was no such deal being made between the PPP and Musharraf for his safe exit.
Qamar Zaman Kaira, another senior PPP leader, while contradicting Badar and Babar in a TV show said: “There was an understanding among all the political parties including the PPP-led coalition that they would be no scuffle with Musharraf if he leaves the country after stepping down from the presidentship.”