Finally, the Pakistan Muslim League-N Saturday moved the Supreme Court seeking registration of a high treason case against former president Pervez Musharraf. Senior PML-N leader Zafar Ali Shah filed the petition and prayed that the federal government and Musharraf be made parties in the case. Article 6 of the Pakistan Constitution requires that only the federal government can proceed against a person for the high treason charges and no private citizen can do so. However, if the competent court orders registration of a case, the federal government must abide. The PML-N filed the petition after it failed to table a resolution for Musharraf's trial in an extended session of the National Assembly (Lower House of Parliament). Leader of the Opposition Nisar Ali Khan had pledged on Aug. 5 that his party would move the resolution seeking Musharraf's trial after the Supreme Court declared his Nov. 3, 2007 action illegal and unconstitutional. Khan had asked the government to invoke Article 6 against Musharraf and assured the government of his party's support. In response, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani had stated that his government was ready to invoke Article 6 if parliament adopted a unanimous resolution in this regard. “Bring a unanimous resolution right now ... the government is ready to act on it,” Gilani said. The PML-N's decision apparently backfired as the government expressed reluctance in supporting any such action. Sensing parliament's mood, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif came to Khan's rescue stating that no resolution was needed for the trial and the government should initiate proceedings against Musharraf for abrogating the constitution. Sharif said he was disappointed by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani but still hoped that former president Pervez Musharraf will definitely face treason charges in a court of law one day. Sharif claimed that US diplomat Richard Holbrook and British diplomat Mark Lyall Grant never asked him to forget Musharraf and he was not bound by any deal.
