Former CJ not Raheel Sharif deserves credit for relief, says Musharraf

DUBAI/KARACHI: Taking back his earlier statement, former military dictator Pervez Musharraf on Thursday said that former army chief Raheel Sharif cannot be credited for helping him leave country for “medical treatment”, ARY News reported.

Speaking exclusively to ARY News, the former president maintained that crediting Raheel Sharif for helping him get the relief from court was just a “slip of tongue”.

“I just said that by mistake, I have never spoken to Raheel Sharif directly, it was all indirect (communication), I don’t know if he has done anything for me, if he has done, I thank him but I don’t know if he helped me or not,” said Musharraf.

When asked if he still thinks someone can be thanked for the relief, he said it can be then chief justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali.

He, however, added that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders too wanted him to go abroad.

“Supreme Court allowed me to travel abroad but removing my name from Exit Control List (ECL) is interior ministry’s job and how can interior minister act without taking into confidence the prime minister? some PML-N leaders too wanted me to go so court allowed me, so they deserve this credit more than the court,” Musharraf said.

Back in March 2016, A five-member SC bench headed by then Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali ordered removing Musharraf’s name from the ECL, allowing him to travel abroad for medical treatment.

The PML-N government had challenged a 2014 Sindh High Court ruling which had struck down its order of preventing retired General Pervez Musharraf from leaving the country.

Months after flying for Dubai, Musharraf spoke to a private TV channel and said that former COAS Raheel Sharif helped him in the process.

“I am absolutely clear and grateful. I have been his boss and I have been the army chief before him… he helped out, because the cases are politicised, they put me on the ECL, they turned it into a political issue,” Musharraf had said.