The Hindu : International : Plea seeks removal of Musharraf

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Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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Plea seeks removal of Musharraf

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, an Opposition leader petitioned the Supreme Court on Monday for removing President Pervez Musharraf from office as well as from his position as Army Chief.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed, president of the religious coalition Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, filed a petition challenging the validity of the dual office law passed by Parliament in 2004.

It was passed to enable Gen. Musharraf to retain his post as Army Chief.

The Jamaat-e-Islami leader told a meeting of the Supreme Court Bar Association that the MMA had blundered by believing Gen. Musharraf's promise to it that he would quit his army post by December 2004.

In return for this promise, the MMA voted in December 2003 to endorse several constitutional changes together known as the 17th Amendment and facilitated the ratification of his election as President through a 2002 referendum.

In his petition, Mr. Ahmed asked for Gen. Musharraf's dismissal from the army because he had violated his oath by taking part in politics while remaining in uniform. At the same time, he could not continue as President as he had defiled the office by "dragging the army into politics".

Gen. Musharraf has said he will seek another term in September-October. His post as Army Chief is due to end in December 2007. The dual post law has been legally challenged before but the courts threw out the petition saying it was not in their jurisdiction to rule on a law that had been passed by Parliament.

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