As Pervez Musharraf appeared headed for trouble in the wake of the Supreme Court declaring his imposition of emergency in 2007 as unconstitutional,Saudi Arabia has said it would consider offering political asylum to Pakistan's former military ruler if he made a request. 65-year-old Musharraf,who is abroad on a lecture tour,refused to comment on the apex court's landmark verdict on Friday when a TV news channel contacted him. The former Pakistan President said he would give his reaction only after reading the verdict. Adding another twist to the affair,Saudi Ambassador Abdul Aziz bin Ibrahim Al Ghadeer,meanwhile,told reporters on Friday that his country would consider giving Musharraf political asylum if the former military ruler made a request. Though the prospect of Musharraf,who is reportedly in Europe,being brought to trial appears unlikely at the moment,anyone accused of violating the Constitution can be tried for treason if the federal government decides to seek such proceedings. Musharraf,who has been living abroad since he left Pakistan in mid-April to deliver a series of lectures around the world,continues to enjoy the backing of the powerful army which he once led. Though leaders of the influential lawyers' movement have been calling for Musharraf to be tried for treason,the civilian government is unlikely to have a confrontation with the army over the issue. The Supreme Court judgement declared Musharraf's action of imposing emergency on November 3,2007 as illegal and unconstitutional but did not pass any order against him. The apex court had issued a notice to Musharraf to appear before it to explain his actions but he chose to ignore it. The order noted that several military rulers had desecrated Pakistan's Constitution and not allowed the "sovereignty of people" to "flourish and get deep-rooted in the polity of our country." The judiciary had "all along been under the wrath of adventurers imposing their dictatorial terms obviously for their ulterior designs," the verdict said. The verdict also raised questions about the future of President Asif Ali Zardari,who was able to return to Pakistan after Musharraf issued the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) that granted amnesty to PPP leaders in graft cases. The verdict said Parliament would have to decide the fate of ordinances given permanence during the six-week emergency in 2007 within the next four months. The NRO is among some 37 ordinances validated during emergency. If NRO is scrapped,Zardari may have to quit as President,legal experts said. Musharraf imposed emergency after it became apparent that the apex court could declare him ineligible to remain President as he was still the army chief that time. Reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry,who delivered yesterday's verdict,was among 61 judges sacked by Musharraf. Musharraf resigned in August last year to avoid being impeached by the PPP-led government.
