After a brief lull of a few days, the executive and the judiciary once again appear to be heading towards a head-on confrontation after Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision on the NRO implementation case.
President Asif Ali Zardari, who rushed to the capital, held a meeting with senior leaders of coalition parties. All of them advised the government to find a ‘middle way’ and not to adopt a hostile approach.
Before the meeting, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani held a one-on-one meeting. The senior leadership of the PPP also had another meeting of their core committee. While an overwhelming majority of the core committee members wanted to fight the party’s case in the full glare of the public eye, quieter voices again urged the party leadership not to adopt a confrontational posture, a source privy to the meeting said.
Most of the participants of the core committee meeting declined to share details, saying that they were under oath that they would not divulge a word.
“I can tell you the meeting was held in a very serious atmosphere. We took an oath not to divulge any details,” one of the senators who attended the meeting said.
Another participant said that the party will continue to contest conspiracies against the government, irrespective of whether it was in power or not He said the party will fight its case openly and expose ‘conspirators’.
The government decided to call a National Assembly session on January 12 and use the platform of parliament.
Farhatullah Babar, the president’s spokesperson, said that, before the NA session, a joint meeting of the parliamentary parties will also be held in the Parliament House to work out the strategy to be adopted during the session.
The NA session was previously scheduled for January 25, while Senate will meet on January 16.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, who was part of coalition meeting, proposed a ‘national dialogue’ between all sides to solve the current problems in the country.
“All the institutional heads and political leadership can solve the problem in one week because all the forces want to solve the issues and no one is ready to take an extreme decision,” he told the media.
Sources said the top PPP leadership has given its legal gurus the task of chalking out a ‘time- buying strategy’ once again in the wake of new SC directives. “We will be looking for something within the SC’s six options … one of these is throwing the ball in the court of parliament as the court itself said,” a PPP leader said before the core committee meeting.
The party at the same time will be mobilising the public at large through political gatherings. The first such rally will be held in Sargoda on January 21, and the prime minister will also make an address.
“It had been tradition of PPP workers that they neither submitted themselves to coercion nor gave in to dictatorship,” were the words of PM Gilani when the court verdict came in. Gilani and other PPP leaders had converged in the Prime Minister’s House when the court proceedings were in progress, sources said.
(Read: High noon)
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2012.
COMMENTS (41)
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We had enough of both the A Team and B Team and that is our Judiciary and Jawans. They both are the main cause in ruining our system of governance in collaboration with those who are fond of riding "Two Horses" at a time. Let us first decide who is not corrupt in our land of pure because all are sailing in the same boat from last 65 years. It will take time for the democracy to flourish in our country so the present government should be allowed to complete its tenure. Memo, NRO etc...... are not main issues of common person on the street. The present fight is between the "Bulls Of The Pillars" only to assert their own Powers for their own positions and not for you and me. Our issues have been kept on back burners by all who ever mattered in our governance. Let us not allow any gladiator to derail our ongoing democratic process on one pretext or the other.
How many people in Pakistan think that Mr. Asif Ali Zardari is Clean? Let us have a Referendum on that. Let the people decide what do we want from this country and where are we taking it.
PPP Leadership may win the immediate battle by hook or by crook, but it will ultimately stab its party to death.
In Sheik Rasheed's words: They are going for Halaakat and not martyrdom
@minhas:
What about people who use Courts to do politics? What is your verdict on them??? :)
Why waste time, money, hard earned foreign exchange, avaiding solving multiple problems of teeming millions - the game must end now - finish it!
@Mirza: You appeared to be a 3rd grader while comparing apples with oranges, constitution is not in any sense holy and final and the writers are not in any sense above the law. Our constitution is undermining the biggest human right of equality and justice. Immunity to the president. This is Islamic rebuplic of Pakistan and was created on the basis of religion. No body and I repeat nobody enjoys immunity in a islamic republic. It is the God and only The God who can decide whether to forgive or not to forgive........NOT CONSTITUTION. Go back to school again and try to read between the lines. We are going down just because of this mind set. Try to be just first.......then decide whether you have to act out like a JIALA or not.
The President has already spent 8 years behind bars for corruption crime. How can Supreme Court punish him again for the same crime? In any case for the President's safety and for the safety of democracy the parliament should create a Vice President post and nominate a civilian or a parliamentarian as a back up for the new position, just in case.
Its elected representatives versus army + isi + judiciary.
The outcome is known from past history.
If ever there is a moment in PAK history for the people of PAK to establish their supremacy this is it. I am surprised that PAK people due to their political differences do not see how they are yielding their power to the institution which has no constitutional authority on this matter and the so called memo gate.
PAK SC entertains cases in the name of jurisprudence and directly interferes with the parliamentary functions. Independent judiciary does not mean it is above the parliament and has authority to dictate the parliament.
We don’t live in a jungle – there has to be a law to govern our lives as otherwise there will be nothing but chaos and anarchy. In eyes of law, everyone is same. If one doesn’t has anything to hide then why afraid of writing letters to Swiss authorities, or follow NRO judgment in letter and spirit. But when someone start using excuses then it proves things are not as what they are being claimed.
@Khan Saab, we are in this mess due to people like you who elected corrupt politicians and still continue to support them despite their corruption.
not just zardari's but the fate of entire pak will be decided by USA....!!!!!!!!!!
Mr President, this is Pakistan. Army ISI decide your fate and fate of all Pakistanis, as they have for past 60 years.
A new kind of circus.
We want Chief of Army and CJ of supreme Court to resign not president.
This country can only survive when parliament is supreme, all other avenues will lead to disaster which no one will be able to control.
We are with you Mr.President. Pro-democracy people support the supremacy of civilian set up. Any conspiracy against democracy will face the wrath of people.
thats why democracy fails and will continue to fail with such political players... who misuse parliament. God help this country.. Musharraf's democratic dictatorship any day!..
Zardari Seth your days are numbered u.......
If parliament ratifies NRO & as long as it is not against fundamental rights of the people, NRO becomes a law & SC must honour the new law & apply it & give a new ruling as per this new law.
I don't know whether in Pakistan's constitution, a simple majority is enough or it needs two-thirds majority?
The parliament will obviously vote for him as it wants NRO. This will be dark chapter in our history when parliament will be used to ridicule the supreme court.
People of Pakistan voted you to run the government, not destroy everything. What this government is doing is insulting people. Everytime they government gets into trouble they just say people voted them.
Everyone should ask voted for what? to destroy everything?
What a joke.
Parliament to decide my fate: Zardari
Majority it authority! But majority could be of fools so who knows? As long as PPP will continue to worship the dead, we will never prosper. Not that other parties are any better but you get the idea.
I am with Chief Justice. Sir please hang all these corrupt politicians. I am with you sir.
@ tru pak,ate you sayings we are against zardari ?? may be zardari will win again he has parliamentary majority to impeach the Chief justice and set a good example for future judges for not interaring in politics
We are with Parliament and civilian forces. Some institution are crossing their boundary and through one sided decisions, they want to weaken the democratic forces.
Very right decision. Zardari is the pride of Pakistan! Parliament is supreme and has the right to decide the matters of this nation which belongs to them, not to any other institution.
Shame on both of them who are keep giving help to corrupt ppl and not follow the laws...both of them should follow the SC verdicts... Prime M should remember that he is a SERVANT of Nation not KING.... both of them should see the condition of PAK, NO electricity NO gas NO business NO money all because of Bad policies...
SC gives dictators free go but they come hard on civilians. This judicial activism is bringing no good to nation.If institutions keep fighting like this and create a sense of discomfort, who will come to Pakistan for Business? Who will look at Pakistan as stable and emerging market?? Pakistan is going through economic melt down and our leaders are fighting on useless issues.
Strategy 119: Get all the corrupt elected people on wagon ,bribe them well and Put NRO verdict in front of them , Name it Supremacy of Parliament.
The govt has to abide by the law. If they don't then they have broken the law.
Constitution is supreme and its writers (NA/Senate) are the highest forum that can write and amend the constitution. How can a holy book be supreme and its authors are not? Everybody has to abide by the constitution no exception. In this political environment the assemblies (who have elected him) must decide the fate of president according to constitution and merit. A good democratic move that should be acceptable by all who believe in democracy.
Only God can decide your fate sir.
well well well...now this is a development :P i wonder if this will lead to impeachment
The decision of Parliament will not go against Asif Ali Zardari. Hence he will continue to work as the President of Pakistan.
But there is another case of memo scandal in which Hussain Haqqani and Mr. Zardari are in the limelight.
What would Mr. Zardari do if the fingers will start pointing at him?
We are with you Mr. President. Power to people, not the judges and generals.