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Pak cabinet considers amendments to legitimise army rule

K J M Varma in Islamabad

The Pakistan cabinet on Wednesday considered amendments to the Constitution to legitimise the rule of General Pervez Musharraf's military regime beyond the Supreme Court deadline of October 2002.

Though an official statement in Islamabad acknowledged that a cabinet meeting headed by Gen Musharraf considered the constitutional amendments to be brought in for future political restructuring, it however, did not mention the nature or the purpose of the amendments.

These amendments would be brought only if absolutely inevitable, it said.

The cabinet was unanimous in its view that all steps in the direction of good governance and political restructuring, including constitutional amendments, must be considered strictly within the limits of the Supreme Court decision, that too, if absolutely inevitable, the statement said.

The statement said that General Musharraf in his remarks reiterated his government's resolve to ensure the supremacy of national interest over the government's interests. He also stated that the country has suffered in the past from concentration of executive power which called for a need to eliminate opportunities of misuse of power.

Musharraf, however, cautioned against making the amendments in haste. "We have seen disastrous consequences of impulsive constitutional amendments in the past. Therefore we would move with extreme caution and care," he told the cabinet.

As per the Supreme Court's order General Musharraf has to step down by next year. However, Musharraf said last week that he has no plans to step down as the head of the army or the government.

Meanwhile, media reports speculated that General Musharraf planned to take over as the president of the country by getting elected through an electoral college of national and provincial assemblies, which were suspended when he staged a military coup in October, 1999. The government has the option to revive them at any time.

Musharraf's plan, according to speculation, was that he would first get himself elected and then bring in a constitutional amendment transferring the powers of the prime minister to the presidency was done by former military ruler General Zia ul-Haq.

PTI

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