Deal Or No Deal?

A media report Saturday claimed former Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira as seconding ex-PM Yousaf Raza Gilani’s assertion that PML-N was part of a deal to grant military president Pervez Musharraf safe exit upon his resignation.

But Kaira, who was information minister in the last PPP government, told The Nation that there was no such deal or agreement of political parties with the establishment, though an informal consensus did exist in August 2008 that Musharraf will be given safe exit if he would quit the office of president.

Taking a U-turn within 24 hours about the alleged deal on the issue, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar while talking to The Nation also made it clear on Saturday that there had been no such deal under which Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) committed to granting Musharraf a free ticket.

Only a day before, on Friday, former PPP PM Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani had said that General President Musharraf had resigned after striking a deal that he would be given a safe exit and that the deal was struck between the establishment and main political parties including PPP and PML-N. The PPP vice chairman had also urged Nawaz government to honour that agreement and refrain from perusing cases against the military strongman.

Talking to The Nation here on Saturday Kaira said that when impeachment move against Pervez Musaharraf was under process at the level of Gilani government, all parties including PML-N, ANP, JUI-F and others were consulted and their input was secured.

At that time no party had objected to Musharraf’s decision of stepping down and leaving the country since no criminal case was pending against him at that time. There was a sort of understanding among all that he would be let go abroad if he would opt for it since he was not required in any criminal case which could prompt action against him, he added.

However, Kaira said there was no question of any deal or agreement with the establishment in the whole process, though a consensus was there not to check Musharraf’s way abroad. He said at that time, Musharraf as president wielded power of 58(b) of the Constitution and the Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar was in place and it was the proper course which the then government adopted taking along all other parties.

PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar told The Nation, “There was no deal with anyone about the so-called safe passage to Gen Musharraf. A committee of senior leaders of both PML-N and PPP...