Pak govt removes Zahid Hamid as law minister

The Pakistan government was today forced to remove Law Minister Zahid Hamid for his links with the regime of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who is likely to face trial on a charge of high treason.
Hamid had earlier served as Law Minister in Musharraf's regime when the military ruler imposed emergency rule in late 2007. Hamid had subsequently joined Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N party, which swept last month's general elections.
The government removed Hamid from the law portfolio following criticism that he was part of the set-up that endorsed Musharraf's decisions to impose emergency and to detain dozens of judges in 2007. Hamid was allocated the portfolio of science and technology.

Media reports over the past few days had said that he had offered to relinquish charge of the Law Ministry.
A petition filed recently in the Supreme Court had sought to make Hamid a respondent in the case against Musharraf over the 2007 emergency.
The petitioner contended that Hamid, as a member of the then federal cabinet, had backed Musharraf's actions that sabotaged the Constitution.
The petitioner further contended that Hamid had been appointed Law Minister by the PML-N government in order to provide safe passage to Musharraf to flee from Pakistan.