Govt, PML-N on collision course
Step down or face consequences: Nawaz
LAHORE:
While legal experts battle it out over the contempt verdict, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief believes Thursday’s court order against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is straightforward.
Claiming that Gilani was no longer prime minister, Nawaz said on Friday that all orders by the premier after April 26 (the day he was convicted) were effectively unconstitutional and illegal.
Asking the premier to step down from his “illegal post,” Nawaz warned him against “unexpected consequences” otherwise.
“The court’s decision is simple … Gilani is neither the premier, nor an MNA,” he said, addressing a press conference. After the verdict on April 26, Gilani is no longer eligible to hold office or sit in parliament, he said. Referring to Gilani as the “former prime minister,” Nawaz said his continuation of office is “illegal, unconstitutional and unethical.” It was not a political case which has led to Gilani’s disqualification but a decision of the court to bring back money from Swiss banks, he added.
PML-N’s strategy
Calling the premier a “usurper,” Nawaz said that the PML-N will lodge its protest in all forms and at all levels. The possibility of a long march could not be ruled out either, he added.
He said the time has come for change and he would move against the government in order to protect the judiciary.
If the court had convicted Gilani and bound him to go directly to Multan instead of the Prime Minister House and the National Assembly, he would not have accepted that decision either, Nawaz said.
The government intends to degrade the courts and the PML-N would foil its efforts, he added.
In-house opposition
The Speaker National Assembly violated the norms on Friday and allowed Prime Minister Gilani to deliver a speech during the question hour, said Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
He insisted that the PML-N will not allow “a stranger like Gilani” to enter the house, or address it, when the session resumes on Monday.
PML-N’s central leadership and provincial presidents were also present on the occasion. The party’s central working committee would meet on April 30 in Islamabad to further devise their strategy, Nawaz said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2012.
While legal experts battle it out over the contempt verdict, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief believes Thursday’s court order against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is straightforward.
Claiming that Gilani was no longer prime minister, Nawaz said on Friday that all orders by the premier after April 26 (the day he was convicted) were effectively unconstitutional and illegal.
Asking the premier to step down from his “illegal post,” Nawaz warned him against “unexpected consequences” otherwise.
“The court’s decision is simple … Gilani is neither the premier, nor an MNA,” he said, addressing a press conference. After the verdict on April 26, Gilani is no longer eligible to hold office or sit in parliament, he said. Referring to Gilani as the “former prime minister,” Nawaz said his continuation of office is “illegal, unconstitutional and unethical.” It was not a political case which has led to Gilani’s disqualification but a decision of the court to bring back money from Swiss banks, he added.
PML-N’s strategy
Calling the premier a “usurper,” Nawaz said that the PML-N will lodge its protest in all forms and at all levels. The possibility of a long march could not be ruled out either, he added.
He said the time has come for change and he would move against the government in order to protect the judiciary.
If the court had convicted Gilani and bound him to go directly to Multan instead of the Prime Minister House and the National Assembly, he would not have accepted that decision either, Nawaz said.
The government intends to degrade the courts and the PML-N would foil its efforts, he added.
In-house opposition
The Speaker National Assembly violated the norms on Friday and allowed Prime Minister Gilani to deliver a speech during the question hour, said Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
He insisted that the PML-N will not allow “a stranger like Gilani” to enter the house, or address it, when the session resumes on Monday.
PML-N’s central leadership and provincial presidents were also present on the occasion. The party’s central working committee would meet on April 30 in Islamabad to further devise their strategy, Nawaz said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2012.