Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan were removed via 'soft coup': Mushahid

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed has asserted that former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was removed in the same way Nawaz Sharif was ousted – via soft coup, ARY News reported on Saturday.

In a statement, Mushahid Hussain termed Imran Khan ‘the strongest candidate’ for prime minister’s slot, saying that currently the opposition is very popular and cannot be suppressed with force.

The PML-N senator further said that ‘powerful quarters’ will decide to hold elections across Pakistan at one time, adding that the government should have made the decision to hold elections in the province – not the Supreme Court (SC).

Earlier in January, Mushahid Hussain Syed claimed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Pervaiz Musharraf were removed through a ‘soft coup’.

There are two ways used in Pakistan to remove governments. “One is ‘military coup’ which took place in the country four times, while ‘soft coup’ is another thing which does not have tanks,” Chairman Senate Defence Committee Mushahid Hussain Syed said while exclusively talking to ARY News.

Commenting on the former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan, the PML-N senator said he should understand no ‘individual’ but the ‘institution’ is important.

SC verdict

The Supreme Court, in a 3-2 verdict, ruled on Wednesday that elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab should be held within 90 days.

CJP Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar supported the verdict, while Justice Jamal Mandokhail and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah opposed the admissibility of the suo moto notice and dissented from the majority verdict.

Justice Shah and Justice Mandokhail in their dissenting notes agreed with the position of Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Athar Minallah. “The matter was already being heard in the high courts, Supreme Court cannot take suo moto notice on the undertrial cases in the high courts.”

The short verdict stated that the Election Commission of Pakistan failed in discharging its role in the election. The announcement of the election date in KP is the responsibility of the provincial governor, while the president has the authority as per law and constitution to fix the election date in Punjab.