Sharifs' disqualification sends ripples in Pakistan's politics
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, Feb 28, IRNA - The disqualification of major political party leaders in Pakistan has sent ripples in the political scenario, which may lead to the revival of traditional political bitterness.
The past record of the democratic forces in the country’s history is quite poor and there is widespread expectation that renewed political turmoil could set the stage for yet another military intervention.
The Supreme Court had decided that former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif and his brother Chief Minster of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif were not eligible to be members of Parliament.
Across the political landscape the atmosphere of confrontation appeared the obvious thing, and made it quite clear that the battle lines between the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government and the opposition led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif have been clearly drawn.
As pointed out by many political observers, now there were all indications that in the days to come the political temperature was bound to rise, with strong possibility of the confrontation taking an ugly form.
Nawaz Sharif has alleged that weeks before the Supreme Court's verdict President Zardari offered a ‘business deal’ in form of a favourable court decision if they agreed to an extension given to Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar.
Addressing the Central Executive Committee meeting at his residence, the PML-N chief said on Thursday that in future he would hold no more dialogues with the president on any issue saying he has no rely on President Zardari.
The sources quoted President Zardari as saying: ‘Now there is a time to extend political reconciliation in the country.’
President Asif Ali Zardari soon after the judgment had imposed Governor Rule in Punjab for two months making Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer head of the provincial set-up.
The role of governor right from the time he assumed his office is coming under serious scrutiny and many accuse him of setting the stage for confrontation in Punjab.
The PML-N has also chalked out a three-pronged strategy – using street power, challenging Governor’s Rule in the court and official protest in the provincial assembly – for dealing with the post-disqualification scenario.
The verdict of the court had brought thousands of opposition supporters on the streets in protest against the decision, and compelled the ruling PPP top leadership to put their heads together to draw the future strategy to meet the new challenge.
Within minutes of the apex court's short order, enraged members of Nawaz Sharif's PML-N in various cities of Punjab took to the streets, burning tyres and police kiosks, and pulling down banners and posters of President Asif Zardari and other PPP leaders.
Pakistan's political history is littered with incidents of alliances falling apart and political friends turning into foes.
However, analysts say never before such a formidable coalition formed soon after the 2008 general elections not only ended within a period of a few months, but in less than a year its two major parties are on warpath, vowing to use all constitutional or unconstitutional methods to undermine, or possibly eliminate each other.
The gulf between the PPP and PML-N widened after both the parties failed to find a solution acceptable to both the parties for judges' restoration and the PML-N had pulled out of the four-party alliance setting stage of a major political show down two weeks before the presidential elections.
The party claimed that repeated violation of agreements by the Pakistan people’s party had force them to withdraw their support and sit in the opposition.
The people of Pakistan were hopeful when PML-N and PPP announced to unanimously resolve their problems including restoration of judiciary. However, the country has again seen heading towards political crises.
The PML-N has also extended its full support to lawyers’ long march on March 16 for restoration of judges, expressing the hope that masses would give enthusiastic response to the event like they had done to the last long march.
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End News / IRNA / News Code 370976
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