Author:
Publication: Mid-Day
Date: June 21, 2001
Pakistan's ousted President Rafiq
Tarar last night said he was removed from the post under the Provisional
Constitutional Order (PCO) promulgated by military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf
who took over as the head of the state.
Tarar, in a statement in Lahore,
said "I was told several days ago that appointment of the chief executive
as the president is a must for the completion of the government's agenda
and achievement of several national objectives. I was removed under PCO
as president last night."
His remarks came hours after a government
statement said Tarar ceased to he the president, setting off speculation
that he refused to resign.
A government statement announcing
that Musharraf has taken over said "Mohammad Rafiq Tarar has ceased to
hold the office of the president with immediate effect" was apparently
issued after Tarar's refusal.
It said Musharraf assumed the office
of the president and will continue to hold the office of the chief executive.
Later in the evening, another government
announcement said Musharraf has issued a separate proclamation saying that
"the person holding the office of the president of the Islamic Republic
of Pakistan immediately before the commencement of Proclamation of Emergency
(Amendment) Order, 2001, shall cease to hold the office with immediate
effect."
Though pictures of Musharraf hugging
Tarar during their meeting last morning were shown on the state TV, it
was evident he has not resigned and left in a huff, informed sources here
said.
Meanwhile, Commonwealth countries
have expressed concern about the assumption of the Pakistani presidency
by the country's military leader, General Pervez Musharraf.
In Pakistan, the main political
parties have also condemned the move. Common wealth Secretary General Don
McKinnon said the move signalled the further consolidation of military
rule in Pakistan. And UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the move appeared
to represent a setback for democracy.
Musharraf took the oath of office
on Wednesday under the provisional constitutional order introduced after
he came to power in a military coup in October 1999.
Representatives of the Pakistani
political parties described the move as unconstitutional and illegal and
accused the general of destroying democracy.
They have announced an emergency
meeting next Monday to consider their response.
Meanwhile, public reaction in Pakistan
has been muted, with a few activists of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) burning their traditional Islamic scarves
in protest at Musharraf s move in the eastern city of Lahore.
The main leader of the Alliance
for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, described
General Musharrafs assumption of the presidency as "a huge deviation from
the Constitution".
Javed Hashmi, president of the Muslim
League - formerly governing party of the ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif
- called the development as shocking and a setback for the country.
"The general, like his predecessors
is using the Indian card to strengthen his rule," said Hashmi.
