Pakistan - Politics 2012
By late 2011 tension was growing between the government and the military over a probe into the government's role in a scandal centered on a memo that sought U.S. help in curbing the army's power. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s office said on 25 January 2012 that he was "dispelling" comments this month that accused top military officials of subverting government channels in supporting a court investigation of the scandal. Gilani said the country "cannot work in an atmosphere of confrontation" among institutions. The remarks followed talks with army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani and intelligence chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha.
Pakistan’s beleaguered prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, made a rare appearance before the country's supreme court 19 January 2012, amid increased tensions between his government and the country’s fiercely independent judiciary. Gilani appeared before the supreme court in a bid to avoid being held in contempt for his failure to pursue corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. Gilani told the court his government was unable to initiate legal proceedings against the president because he has immunity while in office.
By mid-2012 Zardari’s government was reeling from a combination of rolling power blackouts, rising unemployment, militant attacks and a tense relationship with the United States. There was a situation of crisis and feeling of uncertainty, and in this kind of situation government officials do not really take very bold steps because they don’t know who would be there ruling the country next week. And the whole thing goes in favor of those who challenge the state authority, who are criminals, who are creating problems because they get relatively free hand.
Pakistan's Supreme Court triggered a political crisis when it confirmed a ruling 19 June 2012 that Yousuf Raza Gilani was ineligible for office. The court had previously found him guilty of contempt for refusing a judicial order to ask Switzerland to investigate claims of corruption against President Asif Ali Zardari. The Supreme Court's action marked the first time a Pakistani prime minister was removed by the judiciary. Members of the opposition and others who support the court welcomed the ruling, which they see as a gesture against corrupt and ineffective government. The country's leading opposition PTI party declared the court's decision to disqualify Prime Minster Yousuf Raza Gilani from office a victory for justice Others felt the court overstepped its boundaries.
The Pakistan People's Party, which held a majority in parliament with its coalition partners, nominated the textiles minister, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, for the prime minister's post. But a Pakistani judge issued a non-bailable arrest warrant 21 June 2012 for Shahabuddin in connection with a scandal involving illegal imports of the drug ephedrine during his time as health minister.
On 22 June 2012 Pakistani lawmakers elected a new prime minister to replace ousted Yousuf Raza Gilani, in a bid to end the country's political crisis. Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of former water and power minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, who had been hit with corruption allegations and was partly blamed for the country's electricity crisis. Ashraf won 211 votes in the 342-member national assembly. He is a member of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, which holds a majority in parliament with its coalition partners. Sardar Mehtab Abbasi of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League - N received 89 votes. Since Prime Minister Ashraf seemed likely to face the same pressure to investigate President Zardari, a number of analysts are doubtful that the switch at top levels of the government will end the country's political standoff.
Born on December 26, 1950 in Sanghar, Sindh, Raja Pervez Ashraf was the Federal Minister for Information Technology and earlier Minister for Water and Power in the present PPP-led government. Raja Pervez Ashraf has remained Chairman of Social Action from 1994-1996. He has been twice elected as a Member of the National Assembly from his constituency of Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi with the latest being of February 2008 elections. Before taking oath of the Prime Minister of Pakistan he was Secretary General of the PPPP. He is the graduate from University of Sindh (1970). He is a businessman. Married with two sons and two daughters, he has traveled to Saudi Arabia, U.K, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, U.A.E, China, Belgium and North Korea.
On 08 August 2012 Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to appear before it to explain why he has not taken action to reopen corruption investigations against the president. The move was the latest episode in a long-running standoff between the government and the judiciary.
Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the Prime Minister in connection with a corruption case linked to power projects, plunging the country into fresh political turmoil. Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was accused of accepting bribes when he was Pakistan's Minister for Water and Power in 2010. The Supreme Court gave authorities 24 hours to arrest Prime Minister and 15 others. However, analysts said that the move was unlikely to lead to the prime minister's immediate removal from office. The head of Pakistan's anti-corruption bureau decided January 17, 2013 not to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, despite orders to do so by the supreme court. Fasih Bokhari, chief of the National Accountability Bureau, told the court that he did not have sufficient evidence to arrest Ashraf on corruption charges.
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