‘President’s personal crimes not protected by Constitution’: Pak Lawyers Forum

[Naveed Yaseen]

LAHORE: Pakistan Lawyers Forum (PLF) President AK Dogar has said that Constitution does not protect personal crimes of the president but only exempt him from court proceedings related to exercise of presidential powers and functions.

In a press conference on Wednesday, he said Article 248 of the Constitution only protected the president from those criminal proceedings related only to exercise of his powers and his functions as president of the country and not the acts done in his personal capacity.

He indicated that if a president committed murder, it was an act in his personal capacity and not the exercise of presidential powers and functions. AK Dogar maintained that any personal crime committed by the president before assuming charge of his office or during the terms of his office could always be investigated and tried and the president could be convicted and punished for the same. He said that the Supreme Court had held in Zahoor Elahi vs Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto case (1995) that in order to avail the immunity, it must be shown that whatever was done had some co-relation to the official functions or duties or powers of the prime minister.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=209289