‘Chaudhary’s sacking a mistake, I don''t think I committed blunders,’ says Musharraf

‘Chaudhary’s sacking a mistake, I don''t think I committed blunders,’ says MusharrafNew York, Sep. 19 : A day after it was reported that former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf regretted removing Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry from office, an American newspaper has claimed that Musharraf has actually defended his actions.

“But I don''t think I committed blunders which should not have been done at all,” The Express quoted Musharraf, as saying during his speech at Trinity University in Saint Antonio, Texas.

The US daily, however, did not mention in what context Musharraf said so.

It may be noted that a leading Pakistani daily, had on Friday, reported Musharraf had admitted that his action of disposing the higher judiciary in 2007 was a mistake.

“Now, after seeing the incidents following his (Chaudhary’s) dismissal from the office I realized that I shouldn’t have done that,” The Nation quoted Musharraf, as saying.

“It was a mistake to send the reference against him to the Supreme Judicial Council, though it was my constitutional and legal obligation… The reference resulted in a chaos in the country... Probably I won’t commit such things in future,” Musharraf reportedly confessed in front of over 2000 people .

Musharraf said he had no personal grudge against Chaudhry at the time when he removed the latter.

Musharraf, however, said his actions were in the larger interest of the nation and democracy.

“I had no other choice but to depose the CJP in order to prevent the democratic system of that time from collapsing,” he added.

Musharraf had deposed Chaudhry along with 60 other judges of higher judiciary on November 9, 2007 as the Chief Justice had declared the former general’s decision to impose an emergency in the Pakistan, as illegal and ‘extra-constitutional’. (ANI)