Fawad Chaudhry calls Pervez Musharraf 'our benefactor’

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry had said former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was the nation’s benefactor.

“Pervez Musharraf rid us of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif in 1999, which is why he is our benefactor,” Chaudhry said while addressing a ceremony in Jhelum.

Responding to a question about Nawaz’s return to Pakistan, the minister said, “Even Nawaz Sharif’s family has no hope of his homecoming.”

“When Musharraf was in power, a lot of people used to stand queuing up to light his cigar,” he added.

Chaudhry said all the political parties were unanimous on extension for the army chief, hoping the relevant legislation would be completed in the next parliamentary session.

On November 19, a special court reserved the order in a high treason case against the former president to be announced on November 28. Musharraf and the federal interior ministry filed an application against the reservation of the verdict.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) had declared the petition of the former president as maintainable on Tuesday while overruling the LHC registrar’s objections.

A three-judge Islamabad High Court bench headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah had set aside the November 19 order of the special court and instructed to hear all sides before deciding the case.