Musharraf most unpopular and hated man in Pakistan: Aitzaz Ahsan

Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, prominent lawyer and a leader of the PPP, has described President Pervez Musharraf as the most unpopular, indeed hated man, in Pakistan, and said that the movement for his ouster would be on the lines of one that supported Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

New York, Sep 18 : Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, prominent lawyer and a leader of the PPP, has described President Pervez Musharraf as the "most unpopular, indeed hated man," in Pakistan, and said that the movement for his ouster would be on the lines of one that supported Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Ahsan criticised the West for supporting a "tottering Musharraf," and asked the West not to be "too enamoured" of the latter.

He said that the re-election of Musharraf by the current National Assembly and four state assemblies would not impart any legitimacy on him.

Ahsan warned that the turmoil would ensue the moment Musharraf files his nomination for the presidential election.

Commenting on Nawaz Sharif's deportation, he said that it would make negotiations between Bhutto and Musharraf difficult.

"One of her (Bhutto's) conditions has always been that there must be a free and fair election with the return of all the exiles, including Nawaz Sharif. She has said that a 100 times," Ahsan told the Newsweek.

"Is Musharraf prepared to let Sharif come back? If not, then one of her major conditions is not being met. So, what happens to the negotiations?" he added.

The deportation of Sharif showed that Musharraf has run out of political options, Ahsan claimed.

"Musharraf's act was not simply a matter of contempt of the Supreme Court's ruling, which is punishable by six months of imprisonment. This was a criminal act punishable by a 10-year jail sentence of hard labour," he said.

He reminded that Pakistan is not Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Morocco, Libya or Egypt.

It is a South Asian Muslim country where due process of law and an electoral mandate are crucial to the legitimacy of government, Ahsan added.

ANI