Pak government sacks law minister Zahid Hamid for links with musharraf

Islamabad: The Pakistan government was on Saturday forced to remove Law Minister Zahid Hamid for his links with the regime of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

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.

Media reports over the past few days had said that he had offered to relinquish charge of the Law Ministry.