Media watch: The premier's address

Various media organisations derive different messages from the prime ministers speech on Sunday.

Media watch is a daily round-up of key articles featured on news websites, hand-picked by The Express Tribune web staff.

We have to differ

But the attempt to paint the executive order of March 2009 as an act of astounding bravery that annoyed the gods insults our intelligence. The government did everything (and the list is long and shameful) it could to make the infamy of November 3 a permanent blot on the face of our body politic. Only days before the PM had to say yes to the demand of the nation's collective conscience, his Master the President had stated that he would fix the lawyers and the judges and that the judges should now resign themselves to their fate. (thenews.com.pk)

‘Final showdown’ averted?

During his speech, Mr Gilani was flanked by the chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, senior ministers from Sindh and Punjab, and the prime minister of Azad Kashmir. This can be deemed as a ‘show of strength’. It is indeed unfortunate that the dignity and respect of the premier’s office was put in the dock by the superior judiciary based on mere rumours in the media. (dailytimes.com.pk)

PM’s address

Rather, it became evident, in a way, that the government’s current confrontational posture would continue to persist. From his words as well as from the fact that he had assembled leaders from different parts of the country around him while speaking to the nation, it appeared that Mr Gilani wanted to assert his authority in sticking to the present posture towards the judiciary. The absence of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif was also an indication that the federal government had no plans to implement the landmark verdict on NRO.  (nation.com.pk)

Gilani's double talk

The fact is that Yousuf Raza Gilani was advocating the case of President Zardari and not of the parliament, which had fondly hoped that an empowered prime minister would rid the system of oligarchic ambitions. In his rather longish speech Prime Minister Gilani has asked a question, an answer to which he already knew: Why are his words not respected when he had refuted the report of the impending denotification? The answer is that he has not been consistent in his commitments. (brecorder.com)