LAHORE — The new Pakistani government is ready to hold the trial of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf over charges of treason, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said Tuesday. The caretaker government that conducted the May 11 polls had refused to initiate proceedings against Gen. Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution for treason because of its limited mandate, but the PML-N has decided not to spare the former army chief who had overthrown the government of Nawaz Sharif in 1999. “Yes we have decided to try General Musharraf for treason in the Supreme Court. General Musharraf had violated the Constitution and he should face the music,” PML-N parliamentarian Tariq Azeem said. Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif was very clear about trying General Musharraf for violating the Constitution, Azeem said. “Mr. Sharif has made it clear that he has no personal issue with Musharraf but he should be tried for breaking the law and violating the Constitution,” he said. The caretaker government recently informed the Supreme Court of its inability to conduct the trial of Musharraf. It told the court that it could not take any controversial step that would be irreversible for the incoming elected government. The PML-N won the general election and Sharif is set to become premier for a record third term. Musharraf is currently being held at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Islamabad, which has been declared a ‘sub-jail'. He is facing charges over the 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti in a 2006 military operation and the detention of dozens of judges during the 2007 emergency. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari has convened of the new National Assembly on June1. Graft watchdog chief axed The Supreme Court on Tuesday sacked the head of the national anti-corruption body, declaring his appointment unlawful, and asked the government to appoint a replacement quickly. Fasih Bokhari, chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), had also been facing contempt of court charges for not taking action against former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf over controversial power projects. Corruption is rampant in virtually all spheres of life in Pakistan but perpetrators, particularly those with money and powerful connections, are rarely brought to justice. Former opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had filed a petition in the court complaining that he was not consulted over the appointment of Bokhari as required by law. Supreme Court Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, heading a five-judge panel, issued a short statement ruling that Bokhari's appointment had not been made properly. The appointment of Bokhari as NAB chairman was “without lawful authority and is set aside with immediate effect”, Jillani said. In January a NAB investigator was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a government hostel in Islamabad, three days after the Supreme Court ordered Ashraf's arrest over a long-running scandal into so-called rental power plants. — Agencies
