How Leghari dismissed Benazir government

The News, April 15, 2005
How Leghari dismissed Benazir government
Rauf Klasra

ISLAMABAD: Former Army Chief General Jahangir Karamat had leaked the news of the impending dismissal of her government to prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1996 a day earlier, after agencies bugged a conversation of the then-opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, who had received the confirmation to this effect from the Presidency.

This startling disclosure was made to The News by former Speaker Yousaf Raza Gilani in Adiala, where he is serving a sentence awarded by NAB for unlawfully giving jobs to people of his area during his tenure as speaker from 1993 to 1996.

The composed Gilani is busy writing a book covering important political aspects of his life. Having been a part of three governments since 1985, he says he has many startling events to share with the people of Pakistan to enable them to take a peek into the secret world of politicians, army generals, bureaucrats and others, who decide their fate without people having any knowledge of the same.

Unraveling the nine-year-old political secret, Gilani said on November 4, 1996 the-then army chief General Jahangir Karamat hosted a dinner in honour of the visiting Turkish army chief. He also invited Gilani and ensured he was seated besides him on the table. During the dinner, the general told Gilani that he wanted to send a message to Benazir through him (Gilani) that Leghari had decided to dismiss her government and the deed was about to be done. Karamat said he had already informed the-then secretary defence Salim Abbas Jilani to meet Benazir and tell her that Leghari would dismiss her government in a day or two.

The general told a puzzled and inquisitive Gilani that he had received a tape of conversation held between the opposition leader Nawaz Sharif and a big Saudi government authority in Jeddah. In the tape, Nawaz was heard telling the Saudi authority that "Rais (President Leghari) had agreed to dismiss the government of Benazir and hold new elections."

Karamat told Gilani that in the light of this development, he was ready to play the role of a guarantor between Benazir and Leghari so that the government was not dismissed and some kind of arrangement could be arrived at.

He also told Gilani that Leghari had given a hostile briefing to the IMF delegation against the fiscal policies of Benazir, which clearly showed Leghari's intent to dissolve the assembly.

Gilani rushed to the Prime Minister House at about 12 midnight but was told that she had already gone to sleep. There was thus no option for him but to wait till the next morning. In the meanwhile he rang up secretary defence Salim Jilani to confirm whether he had conveyed Karamat's message to Benazir. Jilani confirmed that he had told her what the general had told him and also about his offer to become a 'guarantor' between Presidency and PM House.

This information relaxed Gilani who went to sleep with the satisfaction that BB had got the message and must have taken some measures in the light of the same. Gilani was one of the few people in Benazir government who defended Leghari before her. He was of the view that Leghari would not dismiss the government. However, the same night around 2am, he received a telephone call from Benazir who told Gilani that he had been proved wrong as his friend Leghari had dissolved the assembly.

After some time, Gilani asked Benazir as to why she had not accepted the offer of Karamat to become guarantor to save her government. Benazir said that she did not want to embarrass a civilian president to take cover of a military general. Moreover, she could not convince herself to accept the role of General Karamat as a guarantor between a civilian prime minister and a civilian president.

Gilani also gave details of another important meeting he had with the-then chief justice of Pakistan Sajjad Ali Shah, who also did not have good terms with Benazir those days.

Before the assemblies were dissolved, the chief justice rang up Gilani and said that he wanted to spend some time with him. Sajjad visited Gilani and within only five minutes of his departure Benazir made a call to Gilani and asked about 'what his friend had told him'. Gilani understood that intelligence agencies were monitoring the movement of Sajjad.

Gilani informed BB that the CJ had come to know from him about the possible reaction of cabinet members and other party leaders in case Leghari dismissed the government. Gilani also told BB that CJ was not happy with the attorney general of Pakistan Qazi Jamil.

Next morning she made another call to Gilani and asked if he had read the newspapers. Gilani replied that he had read the news of the resignation of AG Qazi Jamil. Qazi had been asked by Benazir to resign to appease the furious Sajjad. Gilani picked up the phone and informed the CJ that Benazir had removed Qazi as he wished. But, the chief justice in his dry voice said, 'Sorry Mr Speaker. It is too late now.'