The Pakistan People’s Party government finally seems to have resolved to question former military dictator Pervez Musharraf. Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi outlined the action taken in Daily Times on August 2: “The Supreme Court announced a history-making judgement on July 31 which rejected the tradition of providing legal cover to the military’s assumption of power under the Doctrine of Necessity. The 14-member bench declared Pervez Musharraf’s decision to impose emergency and replace the Constitution with the provisional constitutional order (PCO) on November 3, 2007 was illegal and unconstitutional. All actions taken by the Musharraf government during the emergency period have been knocked out. The major effect of this judgement is on the judiciary itself, especially on the judges who took oath under the PCO or were appointed by the then Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, whose appointment under the PCO has been declared null and void.”

The News added on August 4: “Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani declared in the National Assembly that the landmark verdict had shut the doors on dictatorship and blocked the way of any unconstitutional usurpation of the people’s right to governance.” Their editorial stated: “Through this process, perhaps some precedents can be set. This sends out a strong message, especially at a time when debate continues about the role of the president and the powers he still enjoys to dissolve assemblies.” Former PM Nawaz Sharif hailed this move as reported by Dawn on August 5: “Musharraf should be made to pay for violating the Constitution. I am not saying this out of a sense of revenge but it is the nation which had suffered enormously, and the nation which has the right to hold him accountable.”

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