Top court admits plea challenging Musharraf's posts

Islamabad: Supreme Court yesterday admitted for regular hearing a constitutional petition challenging the dual role of General Pervez Musharraf as president and army chief.

The petition was filed late last month by chief of Jamaat-e-Islami and president of six-party Mutahidda Majlis Amal (MMA) Islamist alliance, but it was returned with technical objections by the court office.

A three-judge bench comprising Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Fakir Mohammad Khokhar and Justice Javed Buttar set aside the objections as being without merit.

The bench ordered the relevant department of the apex court to set hearing on the petition in the second week of September.

The Supreme Court in July reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, throwing out misconduct charges against him by the president.

Major verdict

In another major verdict on August 23, the court upheld the right of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz to return and remain in country, which the government opposed on the ground that the two politicians in 2000 signed an undertaking to remain in exile until 2010.

The court decision to hear the petition against the president's dual role came amid indications the general was ready to quit the uniform as part of an imminent deal with former premier and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto.

Railways Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmad told a news conference yesterday the uniform issue had been resolved and the negotiations with PPP were close to a successful conclusion.

Uniform issue

Benazir, in an interview published by Daily Telegrpah newspaper in London, also said Musharraf had agreed to relinquish the military post. Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani told reporters that the president had made up his mind on the uniform issue and he would make an announcement at the appropriate time.

Shaikh Rashid said negotiations were underway on Benazir's demands for removal of bar on third term for prime ministers and some other points that he did not elaborate.

But official sources said indemnity for cases pending against Benazir and doing away with discretionary presidential authority to dissolve parliament were the other points.

The sources said if a deal came through the National Assembly and the Senate would be summoned immediately to meet to pass a constitutional package with PPP support to implement the agreement.

The package will also include a waiver for Musharraf of a constitutional provision barring civil servants and military men from political office before expiry two years after retirement, the sources said.