Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said that former President and army chief Pervez Musharraf should not put at stake the integrity of Pakistan army for the sake of his personal gains. Talking to media persons here on Saturday, Ahsan said, "A treason case against Musharraf cannot be linked to army."
Those who were attempting to connect this case with the army were not rendering any service to Pakistan, he said," adding: "Musharraf and army should not be linked together. There is a big difference between a traitor and patriotic army," he said. He further said Musharraf remained a politician after relinquishing his position in the army and thus his treason trial had no relation with the army.
Ahsan said Musharraf's legal team was trying to create problems in the country; while the country at this critical juncture cannot bear these kinds of conspiracies. "Unfortunately Musharraf's entire team is trying to paint this case as an army's case," he said, adding: If former president did not face the law, there would be a demand for separate laws for the rich and the poor. He said that conspiracies were being hatched to give Musharraf a safe exit.
He was of the view that anyone who was trying to weaken country's political system was an enemy of the state. Talking about Pakistan Protection Ordinance (PPO), he said this ordinance was an extraordinary law and was made for extraordinary circumstances. The PPO is promulgated for two years to get an improved security situation in the interest of the country, according to him.
Answering a question about military operation against Taliban, he said the government had adopted a dialogue option with the militant organisation to establish peace in the country. He further said that a military operation could also be undertaken to combat militancy but it would be difficult to roll back it later. He said negotiations with Taliban Shura could be held anytime as it was not a big deal. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is attaching first priority to restore peace in the country, according to him. To another question, Ahsan said, despite all the challenges, the government's policies had led to devalue dollar and stabilise economy.