Will the PPP survive as a political force in 2012?

By: Shaukat Masood Zafar Back in February 2008, at the dawn of another attempt at democratizing the nation, many Pakistanis yearned for a better society — one that truly brings the genuine dividends of democracy. Four years later it’s debatable whether democracy as practiced by the Pakistani politicians and understood by the electorate — has [...]

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ISLAMABAD: Some progress has been made between the government and the Opposition on preconditions for the 20thamendment with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) finally conceding some ground, said Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar outside the parliament on Tuesday. He said that all parties wanted a free and independent Election Commission and that the previous deadlock had been [...]

Our beloved prime minister, the master class champion of taking back statements made without pause nor reflection, has vowed to expose hidden elements that seek to disrupt Senate elections. Given his track record here, here and here .. place your bets wisely. Gilani Makes Another Promise He Can’t Keep is a post from: PakMediaBlog All [...]

Gilani Makes Another Promise He Can’t Keep is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

Another example of our corrupt society. May Allah curse upon those corrupt people whom god is only wealth. http://tribune.com.pk/story/327394/free-medicine-disaster-lab-with-expired-licence-supplied-pic/  

By Richard Leiby for The Washington Post

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, was permitted to travel abroad Monday by the nation’s Supreme Court after two months of fending off treason allegations over his purported involvement in a mysterious memo that sought Washington’s help to neuter Pakistan’s powerful military.

The court ruling indicated that authorities seem to have lost interest in continuing to probe Haqqani’s role in the scandal, known here as Memogate, which at one point threatened to bring down the civilian leadership of this coup-prone country.

Haqqani, a confidant of President Asif Ali Zardari, was forced to resign, recalled to Islamabad and ordered not to travel abroad after a Pakistani American tycoon, Mansoor Ijaz, alleged that the diplomat engineered an unsigned missive to the Pentagon hoping to block a coup in the turbulent days after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Haqqani denied involvement and said Ijaz, a onetime acquaintance, cooked up the memo.

In an e-mail to Agence France-Presse, Haqqani said: “I am glad that the Supreme Court has restored my right to travel, which had been rescinded without any charges being filed against me.” He added that he planned to join his family in the United States.

Memogate prompted a showdown between the army and the civilian leadership, which technically oversees the military, and brought an already shaky government to the verge of collapse. The fissures between the two sides now seem to have been repaired, and the incessant political and media interest in the scandal has waned in recent days.

One reason seemed to be the dwindling credibility of Ijaz, who has yet to appear to testify about his role in the memo, saying he fears for his safety. The bulk of evidence has come from Ijaz, who released logs of what he says are BlackBerry message conversations between him and Haqqani.

Since his return to Islamabad, Haqqani has stayed within the walls of the official government residence, saying he feared for his life.

Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) issued a statement condemning the “harassment” of Haqqani, a former journalist and Boston University professor. They called him a “principled advocate” for Pakistan.

Despite allowing the erstwhile diplomat to travel, the Supreme Court did not drop the matter entirely: It granted a two-month extension to the judicial commission that is probing Memogate. And Haqqani’s lawyer had to guarantee that the former envoy would appear before the court if called, on four days’ notice.

A separate parliamentary investigation is also underway.

Filed under: Afghanistan, Democracy, Pakistan, Pakistan Army, Pakistanis, United States Tagged: Asif Ali Zardari, Husain Haqqani, Mansoor Ijaz, Memogate, Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan, PPP

Pakistan political parties branded without the face of ‘religious’ – doing so would only hinder their fund raising opportunities with Western forces they supposedly despise – like the PTI, MQM, PML N, PPP and ANP have not aligned with the JUI and ASWJ to verbally protest NATO’s plans to restore their supply route. The route [...]

Non Religious Parties Support Restoration of NATO Supply Route is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

While the government is strongly counting on you to believe that they are doing everything in their power to prevent the death of Mansoor Ijaz by the hands of feudals or ninja’s, what is odd is the fact that -Salman Taseer was killed by a personal guard -the guard was not punished -and labeled a [...]

PM Assures Mansoor Ijaz Safety, Ignores Salman Taseers Death is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

By Shabbir Mir Published: January 29, 2012  GILGIT: Certain elements in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) are brainwashing the employees of the state-run transport corporation against its managing director (MD) to promote vested interests. These views were expressed by Rana Nazeem, the regional information secretary of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in a statement condemning conspiracies against Zafar Iqbal of the [...]

PT Report Islamabad, January 25: The time is ripe for granting constitutional status to Gilgit – Baltistan region. PPP should nominate a candidate from GB for upcoming Senate elections. These views have been expressed by member of GB Council and PPP leader, Amjad Hussain Advocate, in a letter addressed to President Asif Ali Zardari. According [...]

Let me start by saying I do not support this party, but one a close friend and confidant is a vocal supporter of the prime version i.e. SZAB era + policies. Let me further clarify that what is written below in italics comes close to the region of ‘bragging’ but I have no other way [...]

Reasons to Support the current PPP regime is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

Another good article by Jawed Chaudry. http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1101429938&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20120120  

By Alex Rodriguez for The Los Angeles Times

Dealing a heavy blow to Pakistan’s embattled government, the Supreme Court on Monday initiated contempt proceedings against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for refusing to revive a long-standing corruption case against the nation’s president.

Gilani, a top ally of President Asif Ali Zardari in the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, must appear before the court Thursday, when the justices will listen to his explanation for not going ahead with the case.

If the court moves forward with the contempt proceedings and Gilani is convicted, he could be disqualified from office and forced to step down. He also could be forced to serve up to six months in jail.

Zardari’s government is locked in battles with the Supreme Court and Pakistan’s powerful military, both of which have had an acrimonious relationship with the president since he took office in 2008. The crisis has stirred talk of the government’s possible ouster, though experts say it probably would happen through legal action taken by the high court rather than a military coup.

The military has ousted civilian leaders in coups four times in Pakistan’s 65-year history, but military generals have said they have no plans to mount a takeover.

Nevertheless, they were deeply angered by an unsigned memo that a Pakistani American businessman contends was engineered by a top Zardari ally to seek Washington’s help in preventing a military coup last spring. In exchange, the memo offered several concessions, including the elimination of a wing of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency that maintains links with Afghan insurgent groups.

The businessman, Mansoor Ijaz, says the then-ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani, approached him with the idea. Haqqani, who was forced to resign after the allegations surfaced, denies any involvement in the creation or conveyance of the memo. A Supreme Court commission is investigating the case, and on Monday it ordered Ijaz to come to Pakistan and appear before the panel Jan. 24.

The high court’s move to start contempt proceedings against Gilani involves money-laundering charges in Switzerland that Zardari was convicted of in absentia in 2003. The case was appealed by Zardari and his late wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and was later dropped at the request of the Pakistani government in 2008.

Since 2009, Pakistan’s high court has repeatedly ordered the government to write a letter to Swiss authorities asking that the case be reopened. Gilani and government lawyers have refused, arguing that as president, Zardari enjoys constitutional immunity from prosecution.

Last week, the court warned Gilani that it could remove him from office if he did not abide by its demand. Government lawyers were supposed to appear in court Monday and explain why Gilani’s administration had ignored the court.

Instead, Atty. Gen. Maulvi Anwarul Haq appeared before a packed courtroom and told a high court panel that the government had not given him any instructions about what to say in court. The head of the panel, Justice Nasir Mulk, said Gilani’s inaction gave the court no recourse but to pursue a contempt case against him.

Outside the courtroom, Haq said that if the court eventually issues a contempt finding against Gilani, “this conviction has ramifications…. Under the constitution, with a conviction it’s disqualification from office.”

Before the court issues its findings, it probably would hold evidentiary hearings, Haq said. If Gilani on Thursday tells the court he will ask Swiss authorities to reopen the corruption case, the justices probably would consider dropping the contempt proceeding, said Tariq Mehmood, a lawyer and retired judge.

Gilani has given no indication he plans to give in. He will, however, appear in court Thursday to explain the government’s rationale, he told parliament late Monday. “We have always respected the courts,” he said. “The court has summoned me, and in respect of the court I will go there on Jan. 19.”

Zardari’s administration hopes to become the first civilian government to finish out its term, which ends in 2013. The political turmoil may thwart that plan, as opposition leaders increasingly push harder for early elections. Though Zardari is widely criticized in Pakistan for failing to revive the country’s moribund economy and tackle corruption, his party remains confident that it can weather the storm and retain power for a second term.

Even if Gilani is removed from office, Zardari continues to hold together a coalition that controls parliament’s lower house, which elects the prime minister. On Monday, however, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, a staunch ally of the president, doubted it would come to that.

“The prime minister will stay,” Malik told reporters outside parliament. “The government is in command. Our flight may be a little bumpy, but God willing, we will have a smooth landing in 2013.”

Filed under: Afghanistan, Democracy, Pakistan, Pakistan Army, Pakistanis Tagged: Asif Ali Zardari, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Husain Haqqani, Mansoor Ijaz, Pakistan, Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Supreme Court, PPP, Yousuf Raza Gilani