Gilani blames Musharraf for illegally stripping provinces of powers

September 19th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has denied inking any 'safe exit' deal to facilitate former President General Pervez Musharraf's safe passage from the country after he stepped down from the Presidency. In an interview to a private television channel, Gilani said: "If there had been such a deal, it would have surfaced by now, as the media is very vibrant today." Gilani also said would be wrong to say that Musharraf has been 'pardoned', as neither he has been convicted by the court of law nor been 'indemnified by parliament'.

September 17th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has once again said that prosecuting former President General Pervez Musharraf under high treason charges was not feasible as such a step could have repercussions on several other people also. Gilani said that Article Six of the Constitution could not be applied to Musharraf alone as there were several leaders who had backed the former general's November 3,2007 actions.

September 11th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Cases against former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf continue to be filed abated, as now a petition has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking contempt-of-court proceedings against the former general for 'illegally' preventing 60 judges from performing judicial duties after the November 2007 emergency. The petition filed by advocate Chaudhry Muhammad Aslam Ghuman under Article 204 of the Constitution, named Musharraf as the respondent.

August 29th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A majority of Pakistanis believe that former President General Pervez Musharraf should be punished for his 'unconstitutional' and 'extra-judicial' actions taken on November 3, 2007, an opinion poll has revealed. According to a survey conducted by the Gilani Research Foundation, 52 percent of people favour harsh punishment for Musharraf while 19 percent are of the view that the former Army Chief should receive only 'mild' punishment.

August 25th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and the trial of former president General Pervez Musharraf under the Article Six of the Constitution are two separate issues and should not be interlinked. "These are two separate issues," Gilani said when asked whether the NRO was preventing the government from initiating a high treason case against Musharraf.

August 23rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said chances of former President General Pervez Musharraf being tried under the Article Six of the Constitution still exist. Interacting with media persons here, Gilani said he is in constant touch with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif.

August 19th, 2009 Pakistan PM effectively rules out treason chargesISLAMABAD — Pakistan's prime minister on Wednesday effectively ruled out bringing treason charges against the country's former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan's Supreme Court recently ruled that Musharraf's imposition of a state of emergency in 2007 was unconstitutional — a decision that raised the possibility he could be accused of treason.

August 16th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has rejected reports that the Army is trying to protect former President General Pervez Musharraf from high treason charges, adding that neither he, nor his party, has any love for the former general. Interacting with media persons on the sidelines of an inauguration function of a power plant in Sheikhupura, Gilani stressed that country's Armed forces were not a 'stumbling block' in Musharraf's trial.

August 14th, 2009 LAHORE - Mirroring Arnie's iconic lines " I'll be back" from the blockbuster flick "Terminator", former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has said he has no plans to settle abroad and would soon return to his country. Talking to a private television channel, Musharraf said he would return to Pakistan 'when needed.' Musharraf said he had been busy in the international academic circuit delivering lectures across the globe, and said he would return as soon as his commitments end.

July 26th, 2009 LAHORE - In a significant move, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has reportedly invited the Nawaz Sharif led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to join the federal government. According to a private television channel, Gilani called Sharif to discuss the current political scenario of the country, including the military operation against the Taliban and other extremist groups being carried out in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

July 12th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the country lacks a proper governing system with neither the parliamentary nor the presidency having full authority. Replying to a student's question at the convocation ceremony of the International Islamic University here, Gilani said the prevalent system in Pakistan was a 'hotchpotch' of a system.

July 8th, 2009 LONDON - In an apparent bid to bolster the country's constitution and pull it out from the prevalent political pandemonium, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari may relinquish some of his key powers to share the balance of authority with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. "President Zardari said categorically that he will give up those powers as per the wishes of his party and the parliament," the presidential spokesman, Farhatullah Babar said.

June 4th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has held former President General Pervez Musharraf responsible for the Swat crisis. In its report, the HRCP blamed Musharraf for following a policy of appeasement with extremists in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) despite knowing they were expanding their writ in the region.

April 10th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's political equations are set for a sea-change with the lower house of parliament Friday moving to implement the governance agenda, which envisages power being centred in the prime minister's office, that the ruling party and its now estranged partner had agreed on before elections last year. The National Assembly Friday unanimously approved a resolution to form a committee for implementing the Charter of Democracy (CoD), with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani saying the nation and political forces should unite to resolve issues.

March 20th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - In the strongest assertion of his authority yet, Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has said opposition leader Nawaz Sharif could rejoin his government, which will endeavour to return to parliament the powers that had been taken away by former military strongman Pervez Musharraf. 'We are committed to changing the system,' Gilani told the Wall Street Journal in an interview, adding: 'My main endeavour is to end the politics of confrontation.' 'I am sure we can work with Nawaz Sharif in strengthening the democratic process,' Gilani maintained.