Former President and Army chief of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, has been indicted on five counts of high treason.
This marks a turning point for Pakistan where the military has dominated the civilian leadership and no military ruler has ever been tried for abuse of power. The charges against General Musharraf are that of subverting the Constitution, imposing an Emergency in the country and detaining judges. While no one can conclude whether democracy has taken a decisive step forward in Pakistan, let us hope that the development will strengthen the hands of Pakistani civilian rulers to get their country out of the clutches of the Army, which likes to rule by proxy.
Indian courts must learn from their Pakistani counterparts and have the courage to summon the Prime Minister, the Union Finance Minister and other senior functionaries of the Government in connection with the various scams that have hit the country.