ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed his legal team to look into the Sindh High Court’s order which directed the deletion of former President Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s name from exit control list within 15 days.
The granting of 15 days period for enforcement of the court order has once again put the ball in government’s court, which under the law could move apex court against the decision of Sindh High Court.
Although no formal meeting was called by Prime Minister on the issue but immediately after the decision the matter did figured in his meeting with a few cabinet members in his Parliament’s chamber, a party source informed The Nation.
Sources said that the legal wizard of the party Zahid Hamid would be working on the matter and in a next day or so he would be giving a detailed briefing to the Prime Minister on the possible steps government could take in the matter.
Legal and constitutional experts commenting on the matter said that Sindh High Court order has overruled the interim orders of the apex court directing for placement of the name of Gen.(retd) Pervez Musharraf on ECL.
Veteran constitutional expert SM Zafar said that if government has not moved the apex court within 15 days time given by Sindh High Court all bars on Musharraf’s moving abroad would automatically be lifted.
Babar Sattar another legal brain was of the view that government has to take a decision keeping in view the legal and political implications of the matter.
Sources in the government said that as the application of Gen.(retd) Pervez Musharraf was also filed with Secretary Interior for deletion of his name from ECL so the government has to move quick on the matter and in a next couple of days some final decision would have to be made in this connection.
Some of the senior party leaders, who had also opposed the deletion of his name from ECL soon after his indictment in high treason case, are still adamant that government must stay out of the whole affair and let the superior judiciary take final decision in this connection because according to them any laxity shown to the former military dictator on part of the government would have negative fallouts, both for the government and the party.
Sources in the party said that the divide in the senior party leaders still stands and those opposing the deletion of his name from ECL are still vehemently doing so while those who were in support of letting the former military dictator bow out still believed that instead of entangling themselves in past the government should look forward and focus on steering it out from the host of the crises facing it.
A senior party leader on condition of anonymity said that government had opposed the removal of Gen (retd) Musharraf’s name from ECL but the division bench of Sindh High Court could not find the arguments given in support of keeping his (Musharraf) name on ECL sufficient and valid, so even if the government would decide to move apex court against the decision the chances of keeping his name on ECL are not much bright. He further said that all these points would be taken into consideration before taking the final decision in this regard, he added.
Sources in the party said that the legal team of the government mainly led by Zahid Hamid would be giving a detailed briefing to the Prime Minister on the subject in a day or so and after having the legal input the political minds of the party would take a final decision on moving the apex court against the Sindh High Court order or to allow the former military dictator to fly out, ostensibly to see his ailing mother and to get his spinal cord treatment, which according to his counsels is not available in Pakistan.