With caution and calculated aggression, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has decided to fight the conviction of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in a contempt case, but will avoid any confrontation with the judiciary.
Hours after the Supreme Court convicted the premier for flouting its orders, top leaders from the ruling party met on Thursday afternoon to look into the repercussions of the decision for the government as well the premier.
And the final outcome was expressed by President Asif Ali Zardari in clearest of terms: “He (Gilani) stood for me and the party. Now it is time for all of us to stand for him and I will,” a participant quoted the president as telling his PPP colleagues.
President Zardari also managed to win support for Gilani from all of PPP’s allied groups – the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP) and parliamentarians from the tribal areas – at a separate meeting earlier in the day.
“We have assured the president and the prime minister that we are with them and continue to back whatever they have decided,” said a lawmaker who attended the meeting.
Jointly presided over by both President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani, the PPP meeting criticised the court verdict, calling it a disappointing attempt to topple the democratically-elected government.
In a statement indicating the PPP would never accept the removal of Gilani, the president’s spokesperson said that the meeting had declared that an elected prime minister could only be removed in accordance with the procedure laid down in the constitution.
“The meeting expressed dismay that an elected prime minister of the country had been sentenced for upholding the Constitution and supremacy of Parliament,” said Senator Farhatullah Babar.
The participants said the PPP had also decided to bring resolutions in favor of Prime Minister Gilani in all provincial assemblies expect Punjab.
According to a participant, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain advised the government to avoid confrontation with the Supreme Court and try to seek a fresh vote of confidence for the prime minister.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 27th, 2012.
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Not surprising. After all, the whole affair revolves around the president. Gilani is in a fix: he has chosen the path that he deems the less dangerous and risky for himself: Defy the Supreme Court! The root of the trouble can be traced to Musharraf, who promulgated the NRO in the first place!
on the basis of a long held view by the PPP that it has seldom received justice at the hands of the judiciary in the past or now, more agitation may follow in the streets. That is bound to make the judiciary controversial. In this space we have been arguing consistently that the respect and dignity of the judiciary, which is its due in any civilised society, imposes the time-tested principle of judicial restraint on it, which rests in its own hands, lest the judiciary become the subject of controversy. Instead, ever since the restoration of the judiciary in 2009, the latter’s assertion of ‘independence’ and ‘judicial activism’ has more often than not led it into controversy, a divisive factor in legal and public circles. However the present case of the contempt conviction of the PM turns out, perhaps the verdict has opened the floodgates of making the judiciary more controversial than ever in our history and diluting the universal respect that should be its due.
When did the SC care about the constitution? That is why they never missed a single chance to abrogate the constitution and justified high treason without fail.
Moral of the story ' We damn care for the Rule of Law and the Supreme Court'.
Mirza/Ali Gillani,
The constitution is what the court says it is - simple. The PM or anyone else has no right to interpret the constitution. If the court asked the government to write the letter to swiss authorities, then, by definition, there is no constitutional problem in so doing.
The US system of appointing judges is unique and quite assailable, even though the legislators there are educated and moral standards are higher than in Pakistan. We follow the UK system, which is much better and less political. English law is much more widely held than the US law.Gillani is the true leader of the nation...we must support him in everyway possible...
One corrupt protecting the other corrupt why not its safety in power and number
The Heading Says it All
"President to stand behind Gilani"...
@ Ali Gillani
PPP walas have always targeted the Govt Institutions and the four years history of its judiciary targeting is all very very clear to the public. You want scot free corruption and wants a pliant judiciary. so no surprise that you will crticize the judiciary day in n day out
obviously he will stand behind him if he does not Gillani will write that letter
You scratch my back and I will scratch yours.
This is called political apathy,which has been prevail in Pakistan. Just imagine all allies are backing corruption. Hoping the next government will be different.And reshape the 'worst political' history of Pakistan. Isn't a joke 'the Prime Minister' was imprisoned till the rise of judiciary? Will the Judges behave similarly in case of Babar Awan?
Rumour has it that the president has banned Swiss cheese from his table and havimg Multani sohan halwa for breakfast.
President has always stood behind Gilani especially when Gilani stoops so low. This is President's special relationship with his party men. They know they can depend on stiff support from the President when stooping. Even Aitizaz Ahsan has this support from behind now - one can tell just by the expression on his face nowadays.
Mirza! you are right, clearly the court is not impartial anymore, just look how selective they are in their priorities. Typicaly vengeful behaviour laid bare. A horrible day in our history. World is laughing at us. Indians are happy with their sarcastic smirks on their faces. All the people in the world are writing it in their coverage analysis that Pakistani politicians must avoid infighting now at this vulnerable time. How sad, an institution so sacred has been busy conspiring with establishment to kill this little momentum democracy has acquired in last four years. Court is struggling to topple this government so right wing nuts can take over and dream of conquering the world with jihad be made real.
Why not--whose corruption is being safe gaurded.
HAckle and jackle backing each others corruption...It is you paksitanio people who gave them the chance to suck your blood
One corrupt man to stand behind another.
Brothers in corruption..
The future of Pakistan looks extremely bleak. The common people are facing extreme hardships due to rising prices, sectarian violence, unemployment, shortage of gas and electricity. The present political turmoil shows the dark side of the rulers, shielding the corrupt at the top level and shamelessly contnuing in office despite being convicted by the highest court of the country.
Off Course Zardari will stand in his favour, because Gillani is the one who is saving Zardari from getting into Swiss cases again...