Opinion No exit
A register of reports and views from the Pakistan press
After protracted court proceedings and deliberations,the amnesty enjoyed by Pakistans high and mighty from the Musharraf days,appears to have come to an end. After the Supreme Court quashed the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) earlier this week and ordered the reopening of all cases,Pakistans press was employed overtime.
Adopting a politically correct stand,the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) stated,as reported by Daily Times on December 17: PPP and the presidency respect courts of law and their verdicts. While Pakistans Constitution provides protection to president Asif Zardari accused of money laundering cases in Switzerland from appearing in court,all others named may now have to stand in the dock. However,a report in Daily Times on December 18 stated: The Swiss government cannot proceed against Zardari until some action is taken against him in Pakistan,a private TV channel quoted a Swiss Justice Ministry spokesman as saying… The spokesman,through a statement,said if Zardari enjoyed constitutional immunity in Pakistan,there would be no legal basis for Switzerland to investigate bank accounts linked to him. The first casualty of the NROs quashing was seen in a Dawn report dated December 18: Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar was barred from boarding a flight for Beijing on Thursday because his name had been put on the Exit Control List (ECL). Daily Times added: The Interior Ministry on Thursday placed the names of 253 people including Interior Minister Rehman Malik on the ECL following a request by the National Accountability Bureau.
The army-CIA threat
While arguing for the government on the National Reconciliation Ordinance in the Supreme Court,the governments counsel jolted the
audience,as Daily Times reported on December 15: An attorney for the federal government,Kamal Azfar,on Monday claimed before a 17-member larger bench of the Supreme Court that the CIA and General Headquarters pose a threat to the government. On December 15,The News reported the rebuttal of that statement: If there is a fear of November 3-like situation,the court be informed at once so that a stay order could be issued,the Chief Justice of Pakistan said President Asif Zardaris spokesman Farhatullah Babar said what Azfar has uttered is a matter between the court and the counsel on which he doesnt want to comment PM Yousaf Gilanis spokesman said the PM doesnt believe the GHQ or Pakistan Army pose any threat to democracy. Why would the GHQ do any such thing the PM Secretariat is absolutely clear about the positive role of the Pakistan Army and its chief. Another report in the same paper indicated damage control done by the Army and the US: Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met PM Gilani twice on Monday. First,he met Gilani in the company of visiting US CENTCOM chief while the second was a one-on-one meeting in which
Azfars statement is believed to have come up for discussion. The federal government has taken a very serious view of the submission made by Azfar.
General approval
Gen. Kayani seems to have won Gen Petraeus confidence,as reported in Daily Times on December 15: Gen Petraeus said he did not believe the Pakistan Army had any desire to endanger the civilian rule . He said the performance of the army had been very impressive in the operations in Swat and South Waziristan. The News added: Gen. Petraeus says he is positive the Pakistan military does not nurture any notion of destabilising president Zardari or the present government in Islamabad. I have seen no indication that General Kayani is entertaining such a notion. Whenever we have talked to them,they say they are committed to a democratically elected civilian government. Whenever any such topic is touched upon they say they are supportive of the government. When I testified before the Congress I was also asked whether the Pakistan military would take over and I said,No.
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