Opinion Printline Pakistan
A register of reports and views from the Pakistan press
Rumour mill
Once again,Pakistani papers were inundated with stories about the fragility of the current PPP-led government. Daily Times reported on September 20: PM Yousaf Raza Gilani has said change through non-political means may prove hazardous for the federation. However,he added,there was no harm if any change takes place within the parliament,through democratic means. The News quoted him as saying further that the PPP had a healthy relationship with the chief opposition party,the Nawaz Sharif-led PMLN,and would be glad if Sharif returned to the National Assembly. Gilani called upon the change rumour-mongers to have some pity on nearly 20 million flood-affected people of Pakistan and stop the practice, the report added. Sharif,meanwhile,asserted that while the PMLN continues to support democracy,it would not extend blind support to the government,whom it accused of committing mismanagement and irregularities, reported Daily Times.
The NROs ghost
Pakistans Supreme Court had declared the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) null and void last year and also directed the government to implement its verdict. The government has since been dragging its feet on the issue. The Supreme Court,led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry,has rapped the government on its knuckles once again,reiterating that it should uphold the courts pronouncement.
Two high-ranking retired government officers became victims of the unimplemented NRO verdict,reported The News on September 22: The former head of the Intelligence Bureau,Brigadier Imtiaz Ahmed,and ex-managing director of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited,Adnan Khwaja,were arrested from the SC courtroom… while the three-member bench of the apex court was hearing a suo motu case against the non-implementation of the SC judgment on the NRO. Chief Justice Chaudhry wondered how a convict,Adnan Khwaja,got appointed chairman of the National Vocational and Technical Education Commission,and later as the OGDCL managing director.
The SC later summoned the law secretary to explain why graft cases against President Asif Zardari hadnt been taken up with the Swiss government yet,as required by the NRO verdict. The News reported on September 22 that the secretary,Masood Chishti,was confused whether to obey the SCs orders to write letters to the Swiss authorities,or to follow the orders of his minister. Dawn added on September 24: Giving rise to fresh fears of a possible confrontation between the government and judiciary,the law ministry sent to Prime Minister Gilani a summary suggesting no case could be initiated against President Zardari in Swiss courts. The office of the president enjoys constitutional immunity.
In a startling development,the chief justice sent a strong warning to Gilani. Dawn reported on September 24: Attorney General of Pakistan,Anwarul Haq told the Supreme Court that PM Gilani had approved the summary regarding the reopening of Swiss cases against President Zardari. However,the summarys contents could not be disclosed… Chaudhry ordered the attorney general to present the summary in the court. Chaudhry said PM Gilani should know the consequences of defying the apex courts verdict. He said the verdicts implementation rests with the PM,adding that the ruling must be implemented.
Petrol-less in Punjab
Pakistani Punjab faced a petrol crisis this week. Dawn reported on September 20: Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif has called upon the federal government to take immediate action to solve the problem of petrol shortage in the province… Sharif said he could not keep quiet on the situation because the scarcity of petrol had severely affected peoples lives at a time when business activities were already down because of inflated rates of electricity and gas. The PM is reported to have taken notice of the crisis and asked Petroleum Minister Naveed Qamar to take immediate remedial measures. Motorists in Lahore had to wait in queues for hours at a few filling stations which offered a limited quantity of petrol. Besides Lahore,other cities in the province have also been facing a shortage of petrol since Eid. Soon after,it was reported the government may deregulate oil prices and allow refineries to fix the price of petroleum products,except for diesel. This could hike petrol rates by Re 1.
Kashmir resolution
Dawn reported on September 21: In what appeared to be a government-sponsored move to coincide with the arrival of the Indian fact-finding mission in Srinagar,identical resolutions were adopted unanimously by the National Assembly and the Senate at the start of their new sessions,condemning state terrorism in the region and reaffirming Pakistans diplomatic,political and moral support for Kashmiris in their struggle.
India,quite naturally,objected to these resolutions. Pakistan defended its stance; Daily Times,on September 24,quoted the foreign office spokesman as saying: India should take a fresh look at its unhelpful Kashmir policy… Jammu and Kashmir is an international issue and the subject of several UN resolutions… The resolutions reflected the concerns of the people of Pakistan on the gross violations of human rights by Indian security forces. The UN secretary general had also called for an end to deadly violence in Kashmir.
Dr Aafia sentenced
Dawn reported on September 24: Pakistanis burned tyres and chanted anti-US slogans after a New York judge handed down an 86-year sentence to Dr Aafia Siddiqui,an American-trained Pakistani scientist convicted of trying to kill US agents and military officers in Afghanistan. The strange case of Aafia Siddiqui has long stirred passions in Pakistan.
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