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Mr Prime Minister, I am proud of you
It took Prime Minister Gilani some time to find his voice. But now that he has, I stand by him.
The writer is a senior sub-editor at The Express Tribune and tweets @zainabimam
After years of ambivalence towards him, I am now proud to call Yousaf Raza Gilani the prime minister of my country.
I admit that when he took oath, I was just as dismissive as anyone else. I thought he was another one of the pack — corrupt, incompetent and disloyal. And, on top of that, he seemed compliant.
And now, when the honourable Supreme Court has called him “dishonest”, I stand up and say that he is the prime minister and that he should not stand for this kind of treatment.
There is speculation that he will resign. Political uncertainty is such that between the time I take to write this and this comes into print, he may not be the prime minister. Who knows? And who cares?
After all, who cares that the world’s number one terrorist Osama bin Laden was in our midst for years, living a stone’s throw from the Pakistan Military Academy, where Army Chief General Kayani delivered a speech to graduating cadets weeks before Bin Laden was killed? Who cares that hundreds of terrorists who have killed and maimed thousands of Pakistanis are roaming free on the soil of this country? Who cares that another country, which calls itself our strategic partner in a long-drawn-out war that we’re losing, regularly kills our fellow countrymen, women and children in the tribal areas? And then some days, that same country kills our soldiers, too. Who cares?
Perhaps the honourable Chief Justice does. He who is correctly demanding that letters be written to the Swiss authorities and the money of the people is brought back to them. He who has held the prime minister responsible for failing to keep his oath but appears not to notice when the army and intelligence chiefs fail this country. He who takes suo motu notice over an individual carrying two bottles of alcohol in her travel bags but failed to do the same when Bin Laden was found and killed by foreign forces comfortably ensconced inside our territory, or when terrorists stormed the Pakistan Army’s headquarters in plain sight, or when American drones kill our own in our own backyard, or when hundreds go missing — and turn up dead — in Balochistan.
It took Prime Minister Gilani some time to find his voice. But now that he has, I stand by him. I do not know whether or not he will resign, but I know this that he does not need to until those whose job it is to secure Pakistan step down for failing to arrest the pervasive insecurity in this country; and until those whose job it is to be impartial conduct themselves in a manner that respects their oath.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2012.
Read more:
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, PMcontempt
Reader Comments (120)
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Me too !
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Oh please! Spare us this talk. Zainab, would you like to comment on this government’s performance or rather the lack of it? It is only the Supreme Court which is fighting for the common man on all fronts.Recommend
Are you for real? Where is your Prime Minister’s voice on the miseries of poor of this country? Where is your PM’s voice on the billions lost on Railway, PIA and other public institutions? Where is your PM’s voice on the blood shed in Karachi?
Only when the elections are near, he is standing up to the supreme court to become a political martyr and cry foul in their next elections campaign. After all, they dont have anything else to attract attention.
But please, go ahead and vote for PPP. You deserve it!
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Lame
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dear Writer you said it and said very well.
I am proud of my PM.
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lov’d the article !
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poor poor logic.
Pity to see, that one crime is being justified because another was not caught…
logical fallacy has proven to be another of this country’s dilemma now, where we justify our actions because others are not brought to justice. It rules out the matter of professional integrity which we are to inculcate in ourselves by ourselves, albeit it quickly eradicates itself from our personality but then again we do have weak principles in the end…
you would rather write to the people of this magazine that either all should be brought upon justice or no one for that matter?
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Well said, Supreme Court knows that President has immunity under Geneva Convention but i do not understand why Judiciary is pressing Gov. to write letter to Swiss Authorities, what do u call it insanity or……?? I would rather say Supreme Court is making itself a Political force.
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I am not sure whether he “found his voice”, or the “noose tightening around his neck” is forcing him to hear the noises around.
Having said that, however, I think the judiciary is making a mockery of justice by selective application, the evident purpose being a regime change.
There is no doubt that some holier than thou institutions continue to play with the integrity and honour of this country, with complete impunity, by failing to safeguard us against foreign and domestic terrorism.
The realpolitik in Pakistan has changed and the boots and robes need to open their eyes before it is too late.
A brave article.
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This is stupid… Who cares??? we all care… every step towards democracy counts and if the CJ is taking steps in regards to NRO and Memogate… we as Pakistanis, we need to be thankful and proud of our CJ and judiciary, before we go on praising our corrupt Prime Minister.
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You are proud of a man who calls a top priority session,hijacks the media for a good time and then wastes time notifying the parliament about his achievements and tells the speaker that one of his achievement was to improve “the interior and the walls” of the parliament house. God bless this country.Recommend
@vaqar:
Thats separate Issue, if the Current Gov is unable to perform it doesnt mean SC should become in-charge of everything, remember the Difference between being appointed and elected, these Judges are appointed not elected and the Prime Minister is only answerable to Parliament not to Judiciary which is appointed by him, Constitution States that Gov. should complete its 5 Year term.
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…….can you justify this statement of yours “He who has held the prime minister responsible for failing to keep his oath but appears not to notice when the army and intelligence chiefs fail this country” if its pertaining to Osama’s killing in Abbotabad then ma’am i am sorry and feel pity on your ignorance that there is already a commission tasked to find facts of the incident.Recommend
strange Things happend all over the world dont worry be happy acoona matata maam imam.
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Great job ET! One of these days someone will be proud of Zardari too and I am sure ET will be the voice of truth in that scenario too..
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As per rules of buisness, SC cannot take suo moto action on OBL as a juidicial commision is investigating the matter already.Recommend
Army failed so the Prime Minister’s failure is justified.. That is you logic. Bravo!
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Bravo PM.
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Really! I expected this to be a satirical piece, turns out the author is serious. Those who believe educating our people will bring about political maturity and people will vote more sensibly should stand corrected after reading this piece. If this writer can be made to believe that the current political turmoil in the country is all about civil-military or parliament-judiciary relationship, how can we blame the poor people who are taken in by “roti, kapra, makaan” slogan time and time again.Recommend
The author has tried to held responsible the present army chief responsible for harboring the USA no 1 enemy, in the Abbotabad. This is the USA rhetoric, that Osam was residing near to the Pak army training college but actually the dead body of the said Osama was brought there by the USA commandos, and even the said body was not shown to any one because the dead body was disfigured and ruined due to laps of considerable time of expiry. The Pak army is not controlled, administer or controlled by the Supreme Court or by the chief Justice, therefor the present chief Justice should not be held responsible for the act, or negligence of the army.
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Honest and good thoughts… Good idea as well but very poorly expressed and executed.
I too am proud of my PM for things that have happened over the past couple of weeks. This just sounds a bit immature. You’re on the right track tho :)
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@Colonel: If they have immunity then why didn’t the government write the letter in the first place? Why go around in circles for so long?
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@Colonel:
Sir, Anyone who breaks the law is answerable to supreme court whether that is the common man or the prime minister. and supreme court is no servant of the parliament or prime minister just because he was the appointing authority
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when army chief and ISI Chief offered resignation over osama bin ladin case. why didn’t govt accept? you talk about ignorance or deliberation assistance for osama from army or ISI. did you ever think what the heck US army was doing when 9/11 occurred in USA? watch royal casino Hollywood movie u will understand that personal of agencies are uncontrollable. I agree there must some people who may aware of osama presence or assisted him but can not blame whol ISI or Pak Army.Recommend
Dear Mam,
I do agree with you that the Americans have got OBL by penetrating well inside into our country. I also agree with you that our so-called ally in the war against terror is killing our citizens by drone strikes and at times our soldiers fall prey to the attacks by these forces as well. I do agree with you that people are being killed in Baluchistan without any fear. I do agree with you that the honorable Chief Justice takes sou motto notice on even some individuals as well. But have you not seen the Abbottabad Commission doing inquiries under a senior judge. Under whose instructions, this commission was formed? You talked about the drone attacks! So my dear sister, these attacks are taking place with the due consent of your dear Prime Minister and his government. We have seen time and again that Pakistan Air Force Chief claiming to take these drones down if the government allows, but there has been no response to such statement. The Baluchistan killings are also a matter of concern, which has been highlighted by the CJ many a times but then again, the responsibility to ensure peace is the responsibility of government, which is being headed by your dear PM.
The PM said that i will go to the Supreme court in its honor. I want to ask his highness that, where was this respect when they issued the orders to write a letter to the Swiss. These people are not loyal to this country and the nation. I couldn’t stop laughing when PM was saying in the Parliament that We are the noble breed. You should protect us, as people like us are vanishing who have loyalty. The nation is dying as they are not getting the basic necessities of life and they are claiming to be loyal to the country. If you agree with all this and think that these facts are not true, i also feel proud to have him as our PM.
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@Sikander: Then Why SC is pressing Gov. to write letter even they know that he has got Immunity under Geneva Convention??
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Sorry, can not agree with you. Your logic and conclusions are flawed.
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Agreed 100% and me too, I support you now Mr.PM.
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Are you seriously serious?Recommend
@Sikander:
sir u better read the constitution PM is only answerable to parliament no to the people who are appointed by him
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HAHAHA….. hahahahah……… wow this is so sad…….. God I think I am beginning to understand ur wisdom. Pakistan truly deserves to be where it is, near the bottom of the world.Recommend
@ Chitrali brother –
By your comments it seems as if you were part of the marines and as if you had seen OBL being dropped there :-)
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@Colonel:
Because its there job. If the president has immunity its between him and the international courts. If he wants immunity from our courts he better claim it or he ain’t getting it. Everyone who violates the law is answerable to the court. No matter if that is PM or president.
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Miss Imam
very well said it Bravo shabash.
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Looks like Shareef Brothers are completely guaranteed Immunity over scams,scandals and corruption chargers by th SC, but they dont wana admit that President has got immunity by the Geneva Convention
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Funniest article till date. Please do come down to his home city of Multan to find out how knee deep in corruption is your great PM.
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Please spare us this talk. Poor application of logic. Who cares when the PM was trying to protect the perpetrators of NICL, Hajj, rental power scandals? Who cares when thousnads of visas were issued without following the protocols? When he and his henchmen make a mockery of judiciary? There is a time to set things right and I think that we are at that juncture of history. Every step will count now.
I agree that not everything that supreme court is doing is right but this should not lead us to call right steps wrong. This rhetroic has to stop. The fact that PM is elected does not make him immune from being accountable and this obviously does not make him an honest man. one does make noise when the noose is tightened around one’s neck. This PM can make us anything but proud!!!!!
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100% agree with you mam.
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Despite all the incompetence and spineless decisions, the present government tried very best among the chaos of pakistan it has inherited. No one in Pakistan expected that B. Bhutto would be assassinated, suicide bombers would roam free wrecking the country, sectarian violence, target killing, Raymond Davis, Abottabad, Drone strikes, Asia Bibi and all that followed. Of course, the flood.
To passify the political parties to maintain some rule, the present government failed to take a stand on certain key issues: Tax reform and suggestions proposed by the SBP and IMF. All that pak sees on economic front is a slow percolation of events transpired before the present government, and of course men on the streets do not understand that. Similarly soon after the Abottabad the government should have “reorganized” the establishment, come what may. But missed the opportunity.
NRO could have been used properly by the PAK, but again the present government failed to muster support in NA for reasons unknown. And the decisions by the SC is well timed, as always.
PAK people will thank the government in the future for paving a way for free and fair electoral system, normalization of relationship with India amidst all odds, and saving a sinking ship.
Mr. Gilani should never reign. He should face the SC and tell them “thank you for your opinion on NRO but the executive decision of its implementation belongs to my office and my office does not come under court jurisdiction but it is under parliament and it is upto the parliament to decide whether to fire me, hold me in contempt or keep me until the people decide in the next decision.” This would be his greatest achievement and legacy he will leave behind to PAK and to his office.
If courts start interfering in management of executive office’s affairs, PAK PM can never sign a treaty, discuss a possibility of treaty, or manage affairs of the country with changing political dynamics. implementation of courts ruling comes under the jurisdiction of executive office, either in NRO or in all other cases.
What would the court say, if the president pardons the condemned individual and delays the execution ordered by the court as he or she sees fit. Hold him or her in contempt?
NRO implementation is no different. No courts has a jurisdiction in the management of affairs of executive branch. Delay in implementing NRO is no different from delay or failure in implementing the electoral promise, or a sanctioned project.
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Kudos! excellently presented. shows that the author has some real perspective of how things work in our country. sadly most of the opposition comes from the people bred on propaganda channels. indeed it is a very bold stand by the pm. for the very first time he has tried to put things the way they should be. civilian authority over the military. yes pakistan has its problems, but that does not justify giving military a superior position. if you have problems at your home, the CHOWKIDAR does not take over and say ‘sahab aap ghar sahi nai chala rahey ho, hum ghar chalaega’. military needs to stay where it should. IN THE BARRACKS. for gods sake learn from india. haryana’s CM rejected the the army chiefs request for a corner plot. we shower our soldiers with the most posh housing societies and expect our elected pm to act as a boot-licker of the army. this is how low we have stooped as a nation
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I have nothing to say after reading the article and comments except the responses (comments) on the this article idicate the awareness of my nation and that is a positive development.
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err…u mite experience a decline in ur twitter followers now :)
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What we have right now is a Dictator in the form of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, i do not support the government and wholly condemn it in lack of administrative capabilities, but it is an elected body which will soon be voted out. While an un-elected person sitting in a powerful position, listening to everything that the elder Mr. Sharif feeds him is hellbent on becoming the only SOVEREIGN in the country.
Ever heard of Seperation of Powers Mr.CJP
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Im with the blogger, As long as Mr.PM has a voice against the ills of Army in Pakistan I stand by him too.
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absolutely loved the piece and cannot agree more.
I wish the people in our country were not this ignorant and did not believe the fake hype being created. The real people that should be questioned is the military who have screwed our history and now are trying to screw our future. They cant protect us from external forces as they are too busy in toppling governments and looking at their own benefits and perks.
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Ha, he deserves credit for finding his voice once his job is on the line? Being vocal in matters concerning power politics is not really a trait we need in our leadership at the time. Unfortunately those of us in cushy income brackets can only be concerned with how the country needs to ‘mature as a democracy’ while the economy is reduced to shamblesRecommend
Excellent Zainab, you have defied the socalled wisdom of our worn out journos who are forming public opinion. It’s a powerful piece in its own right. This si also the youth of Pakistan and should be heard.
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and how can u say it was Osama who got killed in Abotabad, the commission formed by ur PM is still investigating the issueRecommend
@Muniruddin Khan (Chitrali):
Looks like you have the Alladin’s magic Chiragh, The Jinn in it told you so much. Get yourself a functioning brain man
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ZI, great op ed. I am proud of you, PM and Pakistan as it moves forward. After OBL’s death the duo of Kayani and Pasha only offered to resign but not resigned. No general in the history of Pakistan gracefully resigned even after surrender in E. Pakistan, Kargil, Mehran Base, GHQ attack or having caught with OBL.
Kudos to PM for coming out like he is supposed to. The PCO SC has made writing to Swiss govt an honor point to rub the nose of elected govt. They all know this case has been over long ago. Now its statue of limitation (time) has also run out.
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Fantabulous tribute to Gilani Saheb!
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@Colonel
Being a Colonel you must be fully qualified to talk about the constitution!!!!!
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I find it strange that people do not understand what the issue is about. This article and some others i have read totally miss the point, and a lot of the comments did too.
The question is simple.
1. The supreme court passed a judgment.
2. As prime minister (or a law abiding citizen for that matter) he is legally obliged to follow law. Just as we are expected to obey laws.
3. Since he broke the law he is a criminal.
4. The talk about him delivering, or providing good governance, or any other persons having failed in their job is irrelevant!
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@John B, This elected govt had four years to correct the mess they inherited (according to you) but they increased this mess ten folds.
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I do not believe the PM has found his voice.It is still,rather more so,his master’s voice.
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agree – the Supreme Court seems to be scared of the Army, but leaves no opportunity to beat on it’s chest when it comes to Civilians…
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wow. that made….no sense. so you’re proud that he’s answering a contempt of court charge? wow, that sure wipes the slate clean. go ahead, vote PPP, and their 2 bottles of alcohol.Recommend
Attagirl! I find this to be refreshingly clear-sighted and brave. You and I know that many people will pound on you for taking the stand that you have taken. Don’t let them distract you from your views or your voice. Bravo!
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Move this to the blogs sectionRecommend
Bold, bitter, honest and rational….I stand by you and our Prime Minister.
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@Abdul Rafeh Iqbal:
The other was not caught! Other is immune from being caught and brought to book and be disciplined. It can commit daylight murder and not a word would be said. The same Ijaz on whose words Haqqani is being crucified had said that Pasha went around the Arab world to get consent for deposing this government. That is called sedition. What the CJP is doing about that.
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@Sikander:
Yah why not. Was there any case by the SC for conitnuous failure and misdeeds of the army and the ISI.
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@Parvez:
Refute by logic!
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@Falcon:
Where are the angels. In the army or ISI.
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4 years to find his voice….funny!
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@Hamood:
I understand your frustrations. “Incompetent executive branch” is not the problem of judiciary. It is the problem of PAK people to handle in next elections and opposition parties.
The NRO was suggested by US to get the exiled political class of PAK back into the country to begin the democratic transition. It is not a bad suggestions and countries which had a bad past blood used that effectively to move on. Ie: S.Africa, Nigeria, and others.
Unfortunately, NRO became the casualty of local politics.
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sad article !
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@Sikander: Pity, that PM’s achievement is failure of army! One can only laugh on this logic!
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W@e Love PM Gillani!!!!!!
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Anyone can feel proud of anyone with or without reasonable justification. Can’t agree with the writer anymore!
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is the SC responsible for everything…I mean ti make everything right…then what is the purpose of having a government or a Prime Minister…totally lame article
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I am proud of my primeminister for his dedication and utmost committment. His rule has led us to a path of peace, harmony and prosperity. Look at our growing economy, decreasing poverty levels and increasing employment. Look at the enormous respect we have in the global world and our institutions have indeed strengthened. Money is pouring into the country and industrialization is at its peak. Abundance of electricity, gas and water. It is indeed under our prime minister that we are ranked “lowest” in corruption and “highest” in Human Development.
Well said Ms Zainab … we are indeed proud of our prime minister !
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Thanks a lot Miss Imam……….I was feeling very dejected and frustrated because my mobile and cash was snatched on Gun poin in broad day light few yards away from the alert mobile of Police.. Your article has completely changed my mood and I am still laughing. If you see name whom you can support please refer to list of 44 persons issued by NAB.
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I totally agree with you on this…the author says it wonderfully…Let democracy be …A supreme court who has always played in the hands of the establishment cannot silence the people.This is the people’s mandate
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I was really depressed about gillani being called to court and the general apathy towards it. this piece made me feel MUCH better. thank you so much zainab. wish there were more of us who could see the injustice.
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very well said..
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I totally agree.Even our honourable CJ did not take notice of release of Remond Devis.I think that there can not be any more solid example of dual behaviour of all of us.
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So that’s how ET presents a ‘balanced‘ viewpoint. Not only the article but even the comments are ‘balanced‘. Wow…Now I have started to understand the commercial aspects of journalism
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love you gillani- jiyay bhutto
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Our all supports are with the honorable PM but he also try to reduce public worries instead increasing them day by day.
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the last 2 paragraphs summarize everything. We ought to stand by PM Gilani and not let another puppet be brought by establishment.Recommend
Striked at the right time Zainab …
I am waiitng for the time, when Mr Prime Minister will find his voice for the nuisance felt by common man !!!
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@ vaqar-UK, living in UK really does give you the right to belittle Pakistan’s army men and the constitution, right??
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If Gillani survives after exposing the army for what it is, though an otherwise unlikely candidate, he will be the greatest PM to have ever served the country.
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Very superficial understanding of the serious events. It was right when you thought he was another one of the pack. But you stand against the honorable court when it calls the prime minister dishonest.
What Mr. PM has done during the last 4 years?
Let us know about any of his deeds that we can be proud of as a nation.
just be honest and fair.Recommend
The armed forces and the Government cannot be blamed when the armed terrorists are fighting there to break Pakistan into pieces! they first need to lay down their arms before any negotiations can begin!
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it is good to read alot of journalists taking a balanced view of affairs!!
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The problem is we always have reservation over present , compare it with past and in future we will again have reservation over previous present…..
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Good To See This Perspective Come Up, Hopefully someone will write about the President also. Sometimes, One Right Can Diminish Many Wrongs …..
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our dear president zardari claimed at a recent tv interview that if you look at pakistan from my (zardari) eyes, there is nothing at all wrong with the country. i guess you are looking at pakistan from our president’s eyes. good luck!
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Thanks madam for standing up with P.M. But I think eventually P.M. would have to step down, not those responsible for providing secure heaven to Asama bin Laden, or failing to arrest widely spread insecurity in country. Only P.M. is responsible to respect his oath, all others not.
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Gilani is our hero. period
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People are also corrupt therefore they support corrupt politicians. Does democratic system allows anyone to do corruption and easily get away with it (with no accountability)? This is not a democracy.
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Dear Writer, Have respect of judiciary. Our PM is answerable to us …the people. If I being a private employee, do something against my organization’s policy, my HR usually demands the reasons and if I failed to clarify I am asked to resign. Everyone is accountable for his or her actions. Why not PM?
PM should be accountable more. No minute lapse in management is too small to let go….Recommend
Brilliant argument against political hypocrisy. Wish I could write like that.
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“lets just support civilians because we hate the military, no matter how corrupt, incompetent and useless those civilians may be”… oh, and lets bash the courts when they try to hold at least SOMEONE accountable for the mess the country is in. Anywhere else, a Prime Minister questioned in this manner by ANY court let alone the highest in the land, would have resigned and gone home in utter disgrace.Recommend
I wonder at the logic of emotions which in almost all cases becomes illogical and without any material arguments and evidence, which acutely is the case of Ms. Zainab’s defence of her pride (PM) whose corrupt rule has inflicted miseries on us Pakistanis, although there is no denying the fact that PM is only Chief Executive (CE) in name as all the strategic decisions were made by the president and our PM was not consulted but used to be informed later.
How the PM being the CE by using shamelessly delaying tactics created obstacles in FIA investigations against Moonis Elahi just to save their govt. I am sorry madam we commoners can not take pride in an immoral and corrupt CE. If army Generals are incompetent or colluded with OBL, why they were not removed. Infact CE gave extensions to them and until recently were proud of their services.
We all know that who is calling the shots using PM, and you can only pity such a person.
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After reading the article I am getting a notion that the writer is trying hardly to say that CJ has to conduct all matters of this country. He is the one who is going to protect its red lines, institutions, interests of common man etc etc.
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@Aliya: and the people mandate is not to crush them and enjoy themselves, what do u think the people mandate is for what purpose?
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@G. Hussain Soomro:
Have you ever heard of judicial review and article 190 which says that All executive and judicial authorities through out Pakistan shall act in aid of the Supreme Court.
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I just have a question for all Pakistanis that what is your opinion about release of Remond Devis.Are not we all responsible for that?????We just like to criticise others and do not like to bring a single change in ourselves.We do not know to respect our leaders,then how we expect them to be sincere with us.That day will be a revolution day in Pakistan when I will change myself.
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Is this the same Prime Minister you are are proud of who came on TV at 11:30 PM to announce the extensions of Gem. Pasha & Kayani??? How you can justify his ill intended stance against judiciary and military??? we are not naive kids who do not understand the political circus show being put on the stage of pakistan politics………No body can favour Military rules in Pakistan but please do not confuse yourself by naming gimmics as courage
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Just because the military did not do its job properly does not in ANY way exonerate PM of his incompetence. Two wrongs do not make a right.
I think you just found out about the rules of the civil military engagement which you want to exhibit through this op-ed, but the issue is a little more complicated than Gilani finally defending himself shamelessly.
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Agree with you completely. Judiciary should not get involved in governance. It is against democratic foundation. This involvement by the judiciary is nothing more than for rvenge and publicity.
He may or may not be corrupt, but it is not the judiciary purview to decide. Governance from the courts doesn’t work, never has worked and never will work.
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The core issue is whether the SC has authority to hold the executive branch in contempt in the delay in implementing NRO opinion. The parliament never voted down the NRO issue and the speaker of the house may take up the issue tomorrow for vote, for all we know. Until the NRO is voted down in the parliament, the SC has no legal basis. Whether it is constitutionally valid or not also depends on the parliament and NA may enact an amendment. NRO is a local political issue and courts should never get involved in matters of political crisis. However, such is not the case in PAK history. So here it is again.
Pak PM should stand his ground. He has nothing to loose but PAK has everything to gain by his stance.Recommend
I too stand by him.Besides women its him who got guts to say that civilian supremacy will stay.
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I am flabbergasted to read someone literate in her right mind can praise Mr. Gilani for what he has done to our country over past 4 years. I fail to fathom as what on earth inspired Ms. Imam to say she is proud of PM, whereby under his “great” leadership the country is on the brink of economic collapse and governance is at its worst.
I am embarrassed to have Mr. Gilani as our country’s Prime Minister, who in my humble opinion (given his “enormous wisdom, intellect & integrity”) would not be able to get a job of a junior manager in any private company. However thanks to our national political scene, he is “honorable PM” of this country. Allah ki shaan hay.
If Ms. Imam can not see, then perhaps she is living abroad.
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Mr. Gilani was cornered to respect SC, Actual SC orders are on its way for implementations, no body no matter how big can not escape from SC now, not Zardari, not Gilani, not Musharraff.
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Dear Prime Minister
Everything in my country is WORSE compared to the time when you took charge in office.
I am NOT proud of you.
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No, I am not unless we get the GAS, Electricity and Water to enable good living of thousands of People sitting idle due to closure of Industries.
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Zainab,
The order which you are referring to throughout the article wasn’t passed by the Chief Justice. It was passed by Justice Khosa. Please verify facts first.
Thanks
Gulfam
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@Mirza:
[They all know this case has been over long ago. Now its statue of limitation (time) has also run out]
So whats stopping you to support letter writing? Is it worth invoking SC’s wrath for a dead / harmless case.
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@vaqar: I am sure you are proud because in Pakistan it is customary that every one who does some thing that he is not supposed to do is appreciated and applauded.The army is appreciated for laying down country’s foreign policy, actively participating in all sort of political activities, running multiple profitable business ventures, deciding which where and what battles it should fight without the knowledge of it’s civilian bosses who are directly responsible to people of the country. And now the judiciary for ” which is fighting for the common man on all fronts.” A job that is assigned to the government as per your constitution.
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@Colonel: Colonel you do not sound like a colonel. I agree with each and every view point of yours. Yes give democracy a chance to find its true place in the history of Pakistan.
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The author has not given any solid reason for being proud of PM Gillani except his defiance / courage in current scenario. Anyway for those who take this article seriously may kindly answer the following question.
Is showing defiance in face of imminent personnel / party danger is something to be proud of?
For GOD’s sake show one act of defiance / courage / committment for public good in the last 4 yrs which could have been typically like the following:
1. Forcing Generals in Suzukis like Junejo (the meekest of them all) 2. Standing up to President / party while dismissing corrupt ministers at his own initiative. 3. Enforcing farm tax in face of fierce landowners lobby. 4. Taxing the rich mercantile / business class without getting scared by market shut downs. 5. Refusing to accept Farooq Naik (President’s criminal lawer) in place of Raza Rabbani (higly qualified / respected across the political divide inspite of a loyal PPP worker) 6. Shutting down ISI’s internal politics wing which indulges in all sorts of secret manipulations in support of sitting Govt or opposition in a byzantine manner. 7. Standing upto Taliban and declaring them and their supporters enemies of state on the floor of house without caring for rightist backlash. 8. Amending the blasphemy law (the ultimate act of defiance) or atleast offering Fateh for Salman Taseer in National Assembly.
DEFIANCE MY FOOTRecommend
Flabby arguments . I have following points to support my arguments;
1- NRO, letter to Swiss Authorities is the matter lingering since 2009, and it does not involve the honourable President, but some other big fishes also, like Malik Qayyumm and etc.
2- We want the Supreme Court to poke its nose in every single matter of Pakistan, which pretty much means that no other organ of this failing state is working.
3- This government lacks honesty, morality, good governance, patriotism and so on. President Asif Ali Zardari, is the most cunning politician in the history of Pakistan, who has so many times saved himself and his cronies with his smart political manoeuvres. At the beginning, it was Mr Babar Awan and Co. which was defending Mr Asif Ali Zardari and the humble Mr Aitizaz Ahsan was cornered because of some morality left in him. After anticipating that every body has turned against Mr president and his cronies, he swiftly made a move put forth Aitizaz Ahsan as his knight to defend him in Supreme Court.
5- Mr Aitizaz Ahsan is now showing his loyalty to the president giving this impression through his arguments that Mr president enjoys immunity, not only in Pakistan but in accordance with international law. To dispel this impression, I want to draw your attention to some of the most important cases in developed countries. In US, the courts refused to grant immunity to the then president Mr Bill Clinton in Jones Vs Bill Clinton, where the immunity was not granted to the president of one of the most powerful country on earth. Simultaneously, Italian constitutional court had watered down the hope of the then Prime Minister Silvio Burluconi to shield himself from the criminal charges.
6- To me, and If I am not wrong, to every Pakistani from a lower middle class, Supreme Court is the only hope left in this country.
7- The country we belong to, is called, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, so our laws should be in accordance with the injunctions of Islam, to which no one is above the law, the question of immunity did not come in discussion even in the case of Ameer ul Momeneen Hazrat Umar (R.A).
8- The health of our country is deteriorating day by day and we all know the catalyst of it is corruption, nepotism and political gains by some politicians. We as a youth should stand against these practices and encourage our leaders and to face the music if any allegation comes forward, rather than further riddling country by spinning ourselves towards non issues.Recommend
@ Malik. Complete disagree with you sir. We can argue about the title, heading of the article but the contents are just perfect. Only one line to your’s arguments and in my ANC author’s defense. It’s not just the politicians who’re responsible for the ills of this society – judiciary (w their biased and polically charged decisions), army (w political ambitions), bureaucracy (w lack of decision making) and media (w biased views and changing positions for wrong reasons) are all equally, if not more, responsible. This is sad but true…..
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What are you proud of? The PM being dishonest or him not taking his constitutional responsibility of putting MoD in order? He has taken corruption and nepotism to unmatched levels in Pakistan and yet we are proud because he stood against a judiciary which is working to establish some sort of justice in this society.
What a disappointment!
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Awesome article Zainab….I AM PROUD OF OUR PM ! He is one of the best in the history of Pakistan.
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Disappointed…
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