Breaking News: POLITICAL TURMOIL IN PAKISTAN

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Q+A: What is behind the political turmoil in Pakistan?

Wed Mar 11, 2009 8:41pm EDT


(Reuters) - A year after an election returned Pakistan to civilian rule, the country has slid back into a political crisis.

Pakistani lawyers and opposition parties vowed to go ahead with a nationwide protest on Thursday, heading for a showdown with the government which has banned rallies and detained hundreds of activists.

The trouble comes as new concern has arisen about the ability of the U.S.-ally to stem a rising tide of Islamist militancy after last week's attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team.

Meanwhile, the economy is being propped up by the International Monetary Fund but needs more external support.


WHAT IS THE PROTEST ABOUT?

The cross-country protest motor convoy, known as a long march and due to begin in the south on Thursday, fuses two strands of opposition to the government led by the party of President Asif Ali Zardari, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto.

Anti-government lawyers campaigning for an independent judiciary have been joined by the political opposition.

The protest is aimed at securing the restoration of a former chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Chaudhry, sacked by former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf in 2007.

Analysts say Zardari fears if Chaudhry is reinstated, he could nullify an amnesty that Musharraf granted Bhutto and Zardari to enable them to return to Pakistan without fear of prosecution for old charges of corruption.

The political parties can mobilize the support of thousands of party workers to reinforce the lawyers. Protest organizers plan a sit-in outside parliament in Islamabad from March 16.

The government says the rally should not enter central Islamabad. Protest organizers say their plans are still on, despite the ban on processions.


WHY IS THE OPPOSITION UP IN ARMS?

Former prime minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, who heads the country's second-biggest party, is furious with Zardari after the Supreme Court last month effectively barred Sharif and his politician brother, Shahbaz, from contesting elections.

Shahbaz Sharif's victory in a by-election last year was nullified, and he was disqualified from holding the office as chief minister of Punjab, the most populous and most influential of Pakistan's four provinces.

Zardari then imposed central rule, known as governor's rule, in Punjab for two months, and threw out the provincial government of the Sharifs' Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)

The Sharifs have accused Zardari of being behind the court decision and their supporters have taken to the streets.

Both Sharif and Zardari covet Punjab -- politicians say whoever controls the province that returns more than half the members of the National Assembly controls the country -- but neither has a clear majority in the provincial assembly.

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Sharifs' party were bitter rivals in the 1990s, a turbulent decade in which Bhutto and Sharif both served as prime minister twice without completing a term. A military coup in late 1999 ousted Sharif and brought Musharraf to power.

Analysts fear a return of the politics of confrontation between the country's two biggest parties.


WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Pakistan's latest attempt at democracy is at risk.

Musharraf's successor as army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, has vowed to keep the army out of politics. But, the danger is that if the crisis becomes acute, the military, which has ruled for more than half the country's 61 years of history, will feel forced to act.

The army has little reason to back Sharif, even if Zardari is widely unpopular and disliked by hawkish elements who distrust his pro-West stance and dovishness toward India.

Sharif had bad relations with at least three army chiefs during the 1990s. Morever, the West is wary of Sharif, believing that he panders to the religious/nationalist constituency that opposes the war on terrorism.

The United States wants Pakistan to focus on fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda, and doesn't want the army to be diverted by politics, or, analysts say, drawn into helping Sharif.

Beleaguered stocks and the rupee, which both fell sharply last year, have been under pressure on worry about politics.

(Editing by Robert Birsel and Valerie Lee)


http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE52B05K20090312
 

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Zardari done out; Gilani-Army seal deal?

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani have reached a compromise formula, in an attempt to address the growing political turmoil, Pakistani media reported today (March 12).

Soon after President Asif Ali Zardari returned to Pakistan and confronted the Prime Minister, reports said, Gilani is contemplating a series of actions to address the political crisis.

The Prime Minister, is preparing for these actions following another one-on-one meeting with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani.

Situation in Pakistan has already caused serious concern in Washington where President Obama's administration is increasingly worried that Pakistan, because of this political turmoil, is fast losing focus from the war against terrorism.

Gilani was made aware of this concern in London and Washington when the United States and the British ambassadors in Islamabad met him.

Gilani is devising a strategy that can make way to reverse governors rule in the Punjab. The PM is also looking into Constitutional action to undo the Supreme Court disqualifications of Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif and options available to reinstate Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other judges.

Gilani is bitter that though he didn't approve the idea of governors rule in Punjab, the presidential proclamation for governors rule mentioned him as advising the president for this action.

Pakistan Army, is backing Prime Ministers initiative for reconciliation on road to establishing strong trust base for democratic institutions and leadership.

Gilani is hoping that PPP parliamentarians seeing survival of democracy and continued PPP-led government in the Centre would back him in the Parliament.
http://www.timesnow.tv/Newsdtls.aspx?NewsID=31829
 

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Pakistan police beat anti-govt protesters

Police have beaten demonstrators during an anti-government rally in the Pakistani city of Karachi.

Thousands of lawyers and opposition activists have rallied to call for the reinstatement of sacked judges.

Police used sticks to beat protesters outside the High Court in Karachi.

Lawyers and opposition activists clashed with security forces as they demand the restoration of dozens of sacked judges.

Up to 90 people were arrested.

Large crowds also rallied in Lahore. Up to 2,000 demonstrators marched in the city centre, carrying banners and shouting anti-government slogans.

Opposition leaders are hoping tens of thousands of people will take part in a long march to the capital Islamabad.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is calling on Pakistanis to take to the roads and change history.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/12/2514871.htm?section=world

Police baton-charge lawyers as thousands march against President in Pakistan

Riot police clashed with lawyers and opposition activists across Pakistan today as thousands of people defied the government to launch a mass protest that threatens to plunge the country once again into chaos.

Despite a ban on public protests and the detention of more than 300 activists yesterday, opponents of President Asif Ali Zardari set out on a four-day “long march” from at least three cities and headed towards the capital, Islamabad.

Organisers hope that hundreds of thousands will join the march, culminating in front of the national parliament on Monday, to demand that the government re-instate judges deposed under Pervez Musharraf, the former President.

Nawaz Sharif, the former Prime Minister whose party quit the government last year over the same issue, has urged Pakistanis to join the march and to rise up against their weak civilian government.

But as the United States and Britain work behind the scenes to try to broker a deal between Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif, the government appears determined to stop the protesters long before they reach the capital.

In Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, hundreds of lawyers clad in their customary black suits poured out of the Sindh High Court and joined opposition activists chanting “Go, Zardari, go!”, waving flags and punching their fists in the air.

Police soon baton-charged them and arrested about 60 people, including Ghafoor Ahmed, vice-president of Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan’s biggest religious party, and Mohammad Ali Abbasi, the president of the Karachi bar association.

“We appeal to all the legal fraternity and the people of Pakistan to come with us,” said Yasin Azad, the chairman of the executive committee of the Pakistan Bar Council, who was also detained.

In Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province, around 150 lawyers and 250 activists were cheered off by well-wishers as they drove out of the city - apparently unchecked by the police - to meet up with the protesters from Karachi.

In Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, about 2,000 lawyers and opposition activists also rallied outside the historic High Court building, and clashed briefly with riot police, thousands of whom have been deployed around the city.

“We will continue despite these arrests,” said Aitzaz Ahsan, the former head of the Supreme Court Bar Association who is the leader of the lawyers' movement. “There will be a sit-in.”

He said people were determined to challenge the government’s decision to invoke a 19th century British law to ban public protests in Sindh and Punjab for three months from yesterday.

Sherry Rehman, the Information Minister, told reporters the law was invoked to “avoid bloodshed in the streets”, admitting that her party had staged similar rallies in the past, but insisting it “never called to raise the flag of rebellion.”

The scenes have nevertheless conjured memories of autumn 2007, when Mr Musharraf tried to stop similar protests over a deposed Chief Justice which ultimately led to his resignation as army chief and President.

They are particularly troublesome for the United States, which considers Pakistan its key Muslim ally, but does not want to be seen to back another autocratic leader there.

The unrest has also raised fears that the army might once again take power if Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif continue their feuding – even as Islamist militants appear to be gaining ground in Pakistan’s northwest.

Anne Patterson, the US ambassador to Pakistan, met Mr Sharif today to try to help resolve the impasse, according to Mr Sharif's spokeskan.

Pakistan’s government has restored most of the judges deposed by Mr Musharraf, but has not reinstated several others, including Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, the chief justice whose ouster in 2007 launched the lawyers’ protest movement.

Mr Zardari is believed to fear that those judges could try to limit his power or reopen corruption cases against him that were dropped by Mr Musharraf when the former President wanted to form a political alliance in 2007.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5894232.ece
 

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Pakistan protest begins, government looks for way out

KARACHI, March 12 (Reuters) - Hundreds of black-suited Pakistani lawyers and flag-waving opposition activists launched a cross-country protest on Thursday, as the year-old civilian coalition government scrambled for ways to avert a showdown.

The movement for an independent judiciary could destabilise President Asif Ali Zardari's government at a time when the nuclear-armed U.S. ally faces severe problems from Islamist militants and a sinking economy.

Police detained hundreds of political activists on Wednesday, and banned public rallies. But Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said on Thursday the so-called "long march" that set out from the cities of Karachi and Quetta would be allowed to go ahead.

"We'll not stop them, but if someone tries to take the law in his hand I must say in the house that he won't be allowed," Malik told the National Assembly.

"This is a war for power and rule and unless we get out of this sphere, such things will keep on happening."

Opposition leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has thrown his weight behind the lawyers, putting him into open confrontation with Zardari.

Infuriated by a Supreme Court ruling barring him and his brother from elected office, and by Zardari ejecting his party from power in Punjab province, Sharif has called the protest a defining moment for Pakistan.

Stoking tension in a country with a grim record of assassinations, a spokesman for Sharif said the government had "hatched a plot" to kill him.

Zardari's spokesman dismissed that as "political gimmickry" and said the Sharif brothers had been promised full security.

Pakistan is vital to U.S. efforts to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan and defeat al Qaeda. The United States wants Pakistan to focus on fighting militancy rather than on political power plays.

As the so-called long march got under way, a coalition partner said Zardari had agreed to two opposition demands, without giving details.

The comments by Asfandyar Wali Khan, whose Awami National Party heads a government in the North West Frontier province, raised hopes for reconciliation a day after police detained hundreds of political activists and banned rallies.

Sharif told Reuters last week his main demands were the restoration of the judge and a reversal of last month's court ruling.

In another sign of possible compromise, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said late on Wednesday, after meeting with army chief General Ashfaq Kayani, that the government wanted central rule in Punjab to end.

If the crisis gets out of hand, the army, which has ruled for more than half the country's 61 years of history, could feel compelled to intervene, though analysts have little expectation that Pakistan would revert to military rule so soon.

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For a Q+A on what is behind the unrest click on [ID:nISL187128]

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WORRY ABOUT VIOLENCE

In Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, paramilitary soldiers and police ringed the High Court where lawyers were assembling, stopping their cars and buses from approaching.

Instead, several hundred lawyers streamed out of the building on foot, where they joined political activists outside.

"We've started the march to achieve our goal," Munir A. Malik, a former president of the Supreme Court bar association and a protest organiser, told Reuters.

Earlier, about 100 members of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party allied with the lawyers scuffled with police who stopped them entering the High Court, a witness said.

Police later lashed out with batons to disperse the crowd.

Lawyers were also gathering in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province, a witness said.

The protesters hope to converge on Islamabad on Monday to demand the reinstatement of former Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

He was dismissed by former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf in 2007.

Protesters plan a sit-in near parliament, although the government, which came to power after elections last year after nine years of military rule, has said they will not be allowed in the city centre.

Zardari has refused to reinstate Chaudhry. Analysts say he fears the judge could nullify an amnesty Musharraf granted Zardari and his late wife Benazir Bhutto.

U.S. and British diplomats have been meeting all sides in recent days in an effort to avert violence and chaos and U.S. envoy to the region Richard Holbrooke telephoned Gilani, his office said.

Worry about turmoil has weighed on financial markets but the the main stock index was more than 2 percent higher on hope for an interest rate cut, dealers said. The rupee was flat. (Additional reporting by Augustine Anthony, Kamran Haider and Sahar Ahmed; Writing by Robert Birsel)


http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSSP442473._CH_.2400
 

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Pakistanis describe rising tension


Pakistanis describe rising tension

Clashes in the city of Karachi have marked the first day of an anti-government protest movement by lawyers in Pakistan.

Here protesters and citizens in major cities across the country describe tension and uncertainty as plans are made for the protest to move across the country.
KARACHI
Syed Zulfiqar Ali is a lawyer who took part in protests in Karachi this morning.

Pakistani lawyers make victory signs after their arrest during a protest rally in Karachi on March 12, 2009.
Protesters have clashed with police during rallies in Karachi
We went to the high court in the morning, our normal place of work. It was cordoned off. Quiet.

Many had been arrested, but only those who were more actively involved in this movement and a few key members of the Karachi bar association.

We took part in a planned rally from there and I went with a friend and a slogan banner and stood there.

Because of the restrictions on political gatherings most of us could not stand together. We were in quite a big group initially and then we were told to disperse, which we did slowly.

I will be going to join the march this evening. There are about 20-30 of us travelling in seven cars. First we will go to the city of Sukker. Frankly we are not worried by the restrictions.

I firmly believe that an independent and accountable judiciary is critical for any country to progress. I believe that strongly and that is why I am here today.

Journalist Kaziz Aizaz Alam saw heavy police presence on the streets of Karachi.


Kazim Aizaz Alam
While I was coming of the office I saw a lot of police, rangers and other law enforcement agency personnel making sure that there were no groups of lawyers and political workers and civil society activists on the move.

There was no confrontation when I was there. I think lawyers have been cautious. There have been arrest warrants issued for lawyers' leaders here.

I am convinced that the lawyers' cause is just. I am all in favour of the long march.

The Zardari regime has resorted to dictatorial measures by curtailing the citizens' right to hold peaceful protests and rally against the government.

But people here in Karachi are really scared of violence.

This is a big thing.

Business manager Ronald Peter won't be attending the protest but fears violence.

Ronald Peter
This morning while going to my office I witnessed a huge number of policemen equipped with heavy arms, tear gas shells and batons to stop the lawyers' procession. It seems as if we are heading for an internal war.

The police were outside the courts. Some friends told me that they had beaten some lawyers.

The physical action that was feared has started.

As a minority Christian in this country, I have never affiliated myself with any organisation - political or religious.

But although I won't be joining the march, I have some sympathy with the protesters. When President Zardari was running his political campaign, he made a lot of promises. After almost one year, they haven't been fulfilled.

This is a bitter but real fact.
Pensioner Farid Ansari says the long march should be called off.

I have not seen anything happening. But I have heard about what has happened in Karachi. There have been baton charges on lawyers and their supporters.

I do not believe in the politics of confrontation. Everything should be settled in a democratic manner.

I do not agree with the long march, rallies and protests. We have a parliament - everything can be settled there.

Should people go in a mob and settle matters like that?

LAHORE

Fraz Shafique
Fraz Shafique is a party worker for Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Lahore.

I am the welfare secretary for chairman Imran Khan's political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Lahore.

All our party office bearers have been asked by party leaders to stay away from homes and avoid arrest to ensure our participation in the long march, which will leave Lahore on Sunday.

As far as our party is concerned, this is our raison d'etre. This is our culminating moment. The atmosphere in Lahore is very charged.

Today the police allowed the weekly rally by lawyers to go ahead but I don't know how they will be later. We have rallies coming here on Sunday from Karachi and Quetta. From here we will all proceed onto Islamabad.

Asim Akram is a lawyer in Lahore waiting for the protest to reach his city.

Asim Akram
All those participating in these protests have gone underground. They are not sitting in their offices.

In my office, activist lawyers have disappeared over the last couple of days.

This is because they don't want to be arrested. They want to be able to participate in the march. We all want to be available for the protest.

This is about the respect for the law, about restoring an institution and not just an individual.

I am a bit surprised that the government has taken this line. But the people leading this government are not elected.

From Lahore, I think people will go individually to Islamabad because they are not allowed to be in groups by the new restrictions.

ISLAMABAD-RAWALPINDI

Hussain Raja is in Rawalpindi and is waiting to participate in the rally.

I am waiting to participate and my friends are also waiting to participate. I am not a lawyer or politician but a simple Pakistani facing hardship in his daily life like inflation.

We are praying for peace and justice, because when there is justice every thing will be alright, and when there will be peace, we can sleep at night and rest.

I know we may not achieve our targets but we could make an effort.

The atmosphere here is not good everybody is watching and listening to the news.

Many policemen are gathering Islamabad and I am worried about the violence.

Ghulam Ghaus is an accountant in Islamabad who will take part in the rally when it reaches the city.

Ghulam Ghaus
I do intend to take part in the rallies because I respect the charter of the lawyers' movement. Someone has to stand up. Everyone has to contribute to this.

I know there are many difficulties because of the actions of those in power but the determination is still there.

I am not a die-hard supporter of Nawaz Sharif but he is the best option of the available lot. But as far as this movement is concerned we are here to revive justice.

For the moment all the entry and exit points in Islamabad are heavily manned by the police.

They have started putting up some hurdles, containers and trailers as well.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7939135.stm
 

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Q&A: Pakistan's political instability

PML-N supporter in Islamabad
There are fears that Pakistan could return to the instability of the 1990s

Tension between the government led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has grown in recent months.

The government has warned that if protests led by the PML-N turn violent, its leaders could be charged with sedition. The PML-N has in turn accused the government of behaving in the same undemocratic way as President Pervez Musharraf before he resigned in August 2008.

Why have the PPP and the PML-N fallen out?

Although the two parties worked together to remove President Musharraf in August 2008, relations between them were seldom more than cordial.

The parties formed a brief alliance following parliamentary elections in February 2008, but agreement was never reached over contentious issues simmering under the surface.

The PML-N withdrew from the alliance in August 2008, complaining that the PPP was dragging its feet over the question of reinstating the former chief justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Chaudhry, and other judges who were sacked by President Musharraf.

The PML-N said it was also unhappy over PPP leader and President Asif Ali Zardari's decision to run for president which it said was in violation of an agreement that the next holder of the office would be a non-partisan individual.

Relations have been further strained over a Supreme Court decision in February 2008 to ban PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz from holding elected office, coupled with the decision of President Zardari to implement direct rule in their stronghold in the province of Punjab.

What will happen next?

There are now fears that the two parties - bitter political adversaries throughout the 1990s - will return to the see-saw political turmoil that so characterised their relationship in that decade.

Pakistan army parade
The army remains one of Pakistan's few properly functioning institutions

In the short term, the PML-N plans a series of protests, sit-ins and marches to raise public awareness of their grievances.

But questions remain over exactly how far they will be able to take their protests.

The government has warned the PML-N leadership that if any of its actions result in violence, they could be charged with sedition.

The PML-N says that the government is behaving in the same heavy-handed and undemocratic way that President Musharraf did.

What will be the PPP's strategy to deal with the rift?

Analysts say that in the short term the government will try to contain the PML-N protests by arresting or containing the movements of its senior leadership.

It may also mobilise PPP supporters to counter-balance the planned demonstrations.

In the longer term President Zardari will have to decide whether or not to continue his crackdown against the PML-N - and fend off accusations that he is weakening Pakistan's democracy - or reach out to them and agree to reinstate Iftikhar Chaudhry.

That decision would not be welcomed by the country's powerful army, which has made no secret over the years of its disdain for Mr Chaudhry's investigations into alleged human rights abuses committed by the military.

How much power does President Zardari have?

The present constitution confers vast powers on the president, including the power to appoint services chiefs, the head of the election commission and the head of the public service commission.

PML-N demonstration in Lahore
The PML-N is strongly supported in Punjab province

But the most controversial prerogative is the power to dismiss all or any of the central or provincial governments and parliaments.

These powers were included in the constitution by Mr Musharraf and the ruling alliance had indicated it would do away with them.

But the president continues to have them until the parliament votes them out by a two-thirds majority.

So will Mr Chaudhry and other judges be reinstated?

The PPP argues that it has already reappointed all but a handful of the judges sacked by President Musharraf. But it argues that some of them, including Iftikhar Chaudhry, should not be restored to their former positions.

One reason for that may be because Mr Chaudhry last year challenged an amnesty that enabled Mr Zardari to end his exile and return to Pakistan.

Some analysts point out that the Americans may also be averse to Justice Chaudhry's reinstatement because he is likely to reopen the cases of missing persons.

These include people alleged to have supported al-Qaeda who were handed over to the US by the Pakistani security agencies.

A third argument is that Justice Chaudhry has "disqualified" himself for the job by indulging in street politics since his dismissal.

Will the army make a comeback?

The army has dominated Pakistani politics directly or indirectly since the mid-1950s and has come to exert influence even in such non-professional sectors as the civilian administration, the police and the national economy.

Arrested militants in Pakistan
Militants became much more active during Mr Musharraf's tenure

Partly because of this, and partly because of the defeats it suffered in Kargil in 1999 against Indian troops and later against militants in the north-western tribal region, it has grown extremely unpopular.

The unpopularity of Mr Musharraf's regime further dented its standing with the people.

With Mr Musharraf's resignation, the army appears to have completely withdrawn from the political field.

It is currently under pressure from Western powers because of its failure to contain militancy.

In addition, it is under pressure from a vibrant Pakistani electronic media which is not shy of exposing and criticising its "political misadventures".

In spite of all this, the army still remains the most organised institution in the country and may well want to get involved in politics again if the politicians fail to steer Pakistan through its myriad problems.

What about the militant threat?

In recent years, militant sanctuaries in the tribal areas have gradually spread across government territory in the north-west where they have established their own system of justice and revenue collection.

They now present arguably the greatest threat to President Zardari's government.

He has continued the policy of his predecessor in relation to the insurgents - signing ceasefires in some areas while launching all out assaults against them in others.

But the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team by militants in Lahore in March 2008 showed just how powerful the militants have become - and how weak and poorly prepared are the authorities.

President Zardari has a full in-tray if he is to remain in power.

He must dampen the militant threat, ward off opposition parties and tackle an economic crisis that some have warned my bankrupt his country.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7570286.stm
 

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US gives a deadline to Pak to end political crisis

New Delhi: The US has put pressure on the Pakistan government to defuse the current crisis in the country, according to media reports.

The arrangement calls for the removal of Zardari ally and Punjab Governor Salman Taseer who is accused of playing a key role in the departure of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif recently.

Concerned over the rapidly spreading political turmoil in Pakistan, the US has swiftly moved to ensure that the volatile situation in the country does not escalate to a point of no return and sought assurances from the military leadership of non-intervention.

The Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke talked to Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani over phone and discussed with him the situation in the country.

The US Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W Patterson, also spoke to Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif in Lahore.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said he doesn't believe there is a "high probability right now" of the crisis prompting Pakistan military to intervene.

In an interview with PBS's Charlie Rose broadcast late on Thursday night, Mullen said his Pakistani counterpart Gen Ashfaq Kayani is "committed to a civilian government" and doesn't want to take over as his predecessor Pervez Musharraf did in 1999.

"The situation in Pakistan continues to deteriorate very, very slowly under a political leadership which is very challenged because of the totality of the crisis," Mullen said and added "officials are closely monitoring opposition protests" in Pakistan.

The official Associated Press of Pakistan reported from Islamabad that Zardari had a three-way teleconference with Patterson and Holbrooke.

"A host of issues of mutual interest to both Pakistan and the US came under discussion in the teleconference that lasted for about thirty minutes," President's Spokesman Farhatullah Babar was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the Taliban has won another battle in Pakistan. Sharia law has re-opened in the country's troubled Swat valley. The law is being implemented in as many as four regions starting Friday.

Unable to manage peace, the Pakistani government had caved in and signed a ceasefire with the Taliban in the North West Frontier Province on February 17, and by implementing the stringent Islamic law they have now fulfilled their side of the deal.

It however remains to be seen if peace will follow.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/us-gives-a-deadline-to-pak-to-end-political-crisis/87569-2.html
 

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Zardari, Gilani discuss situation in Pak

A meeting between Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani underway in Islamabad. The two leaders are meeting to discuss the current political situation.

The meeting holds significance in the wake of the reports that the United States has given a 24-hour deadline to Zardari to defuse tension.

Although, on the other hand, what is becoming increasingly clear is the emergence of Prime Minister Gilani as the key figure in Pakistan.

Earlier, the United States' Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke spoke with the country's top leadership to resolve differences with the PML-N so that they could focus on the war against militancy, as part of stepped up diplomatic efforts to defuse the deepening political crisis in Pakistan.

Holbrooke spoke to both President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on telephone to discuss the prevailing situation in the country.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090087375
 

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24-hours for Zardari to accept deal

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was on Friday (March 13) reportedly asked to go by the Army and the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, if he does not accept a new deal hatched by them in consultation with foreign powers.

The new political deal, backed by Washington, London and the Army establishment, has quietly been conveyed to Pakistan PM Gilani, to bring down the political temperature in Pakistan, said sources.

As part of the deal, added sources, the PM has been asked to immediately convince beleaguered President Asif Ali Zardari to demonstrate the flexibility required to break the present deadlock, before the 'Long March' could reach Islamabad.

Meanwhile, media reports suggested that Gilani, who has been given 24 hours to convince the president, met Zardari, in an attempt to convince the latter into agreeing to the new political and constitutional arrangement, as further delay will not produce any positive results for the political forces currently on the warpath.

The ball is now firmly in the court of President Zardari, who has to take a decision swiftly on endorsing the agreement brokered by powerful international actors.

If Zardari does not accept the new deal then:

  • Army, foreign powers will be left with no option but to implement 'minus-one formula'.
  • Presidents office will be completely marginalised, Zardari will be removed.
  • Gilani will take over as power will be restored to PM office.
  • Nawaz Sharif's PML(N) will join the cabinet
  • Deposed SC chief Justice Iftikar Chaudhary will be reappointed.

Terms of the deal are as follows:

  • Pak PM Gilani has been asked to convince Zardari to accept the new political and constitutional arrangement.
  • The deal also states the removal of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who is an obstavle to good relations between the PPP and the PML(N).
  • Implementation of the new Constitutional package through the Parliament.
  • The deal also demands the restoration of Supreme Court Justice Ifthikar Chaudhary.

Since Wednesday (March 11), there have been a series of meetings that have shaped this deal.

The Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani met PM Gilani in Islamabad on March 11, where in the ninety minute meeting the former essentially told the latter to set the deal in motion.

On Thursday (March 12), the US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson met the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The reason ostensibly was after Sharif alleged that there was a plot to assassinate him.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has not met the President after he returned from his trip to Dubai. He has however been talking to the President over the phone.

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband also telephoned President Asif Ali Zardari to discuss the present situation yesterday.
http://www.timesnow.tv/Newsdtls.aspx?NewsID=31939
 

EnlightenedMonk

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UK, US try to pacify political crisis in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The governments of the US and the UK have finally intervened into the prevailing political crisis in Pakistan urging leadership of ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) to shun their differences as they believe that political instability in the country will provide an opportunity for militants to gain more strength, sources close to the president told Dawn on Thursday.

President Asif Ali Zardari, who is co-chairman of the PPP and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif have come under tremendous international pressure on Thursday to resolve the prevailing political crisis in the country.

Zardari received a series of telephone calls from US President Obama’s Special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrook, British Foreign Secretary, David Milliband and the US Ambassador in Islamabad Anne Petterson. Later, the US Ambassador called on Nawaz Sharif and governor Punjab Salman Taseer.

Representatives of the US and the UK governments told President Zardari that political instability in Pakistan weakens their efforts on the war on terror and thus political unrest should be overcome otherwise it will help militants to reorganise and emerge with more force to meet their agenda. The US and the UK leaders were of the view that political mayhem in Pakistan is creating a vacuum in the country leaving the militants unchecked.

It is expected that after these talks, some major developments will take place in the country’s political arena before the lawyers’ long march reaches Islamabad on March 16.

The long march backed by the main opposition party (PML-N) has been kicked off to press the government to reinstate judges, including Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who were deposed with the imposition of emergency rule by former President Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007.

Spokesman for the President, Farhatullah Babar officially confirmed that Zardari was contacted by US envoys and UK foreign minister by telephone.

An official announcement said a triangular telephonic conference was held Thursday night among President Asif Ali Zardari, President Obama’s Special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrook and the US Ambassador in Islamabad Anne Petterson.

Following the telephonic conversations, President Zardari called Governor Punjab Salman Taseer and other PPP leaders in the province to the presidency and had a detailed meeting on the long march issue, sources said.

The meeting is considered quite significant in the back drop of concerns shown by the US and the UK governments.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn%20Content%20Library/dawn/news/pakistan/uk-us-step-in-to-pacify-political-crisis--za
 

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Pakistan protest crackdown widens

11:44 GMT, Thursday, 12 March 2009


Authorities in Pakistan's north-west have banned political gatherings and a protest convoy has been halted in Sindh as a crackdown on activists spreads.

Dozens of lawyers and political leaders were arrested in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) overnight.

Protesters have been trying to reach Islamabad by Monday on a "long march" that is demanding the reinstatement of sacked judges.

The government says the march is aimed at destabilising the country.

The protest is causing widening international concern.

US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband both spoke to President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday.


'Rule of law'

Protest organisers had intended the four-day march from cities across Pakistan to culminate in a sit-in at the parliament in Islamabad, on Monday.

However, the BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says that while protests will continue throughout Pakistani cities and activists may try to reach the capital in small groups, the crackdown has effectively ended the "long march".

Protest organisers say that more than 1,000 opposition leaders and activists have already been jailed or put under house arrest.

Police in NWFP overnight arrested dozens of lawyers, political leaders, legislators and activists in the districts of Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad and Mansehra.

Raids are still going on in the area amid reports that many opposition leaders and lawyers have gone into hiding to avoid arrest.

Gatherings have been banned and large contingents of police have been deployed to prevent activists from proceeding to Islamabad in large groups.

Police also blocked a convoy of protesters led by the president of the Supreme Court bar association, Ali Ahmed Kurd, as it tried to enter Sindh province on its way to the capital.

Punjab and Sindh provinces have both banned political gatherings.

Mr Kurd said he "strongly condemned the Sindh government for stopping our peaceful march".

He added: "We will try to reach Islamabad by other routes and appeal to all Pakistanis to reach Islamabad in groups or as individuals by any possible means.

"This action of the government has shown to the people of Pakistan and the entire world that lawyers cannot move freely in their own country."

On Thursday, the police in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, baton charged to disperse protesting lawyers and political activists.

Lawyers in Karachi say they will boycott all courts on Friday.

The government fears the protest could turn more violent.

The US has expressed its concern about the situation.

In addition to the Holbrooke call, US ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson met Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

US state department spokesman Robert Wood said the US was stressing that violence should be avoided, the rule of law respected and that peaceful protests should be allowed to proceed.

Corruption cases

The protest follows a heightening of tensions in Pakistan, after a court ruling barring opposition PML-N party leader Nawaz Sharif and his brother from holding public office.

Mr Sharif has backed the lawyers' demand for the judges to be reinstated and has called on Pakistanis to join the demonstration.

He said that Mr Zardari's refusal to meet the demand was "shortening his political life".

"I don't think he will be able to complete his five years," Mr Sharif said.

The sackings in November 2007 of some 60 senior judges, including the then-chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, sparked countrywide protests and ultimately led to President Pervez Musharraf's resignation.

Mr Zardari's critics argue that he fears the chief justice could revive corruption cases against him.

Six months after Mr Zardari took office, Pakistan is descending deeper into crisis, correspondents say.

The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says many believe that Mr Sharif's backing of the protesters has turned the march into a power struggle that the country can ill afford.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7941122.stm
 

EnlightenedMonk

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Geo TV blocked in most major cities... according to Indian news channels and also according to GEO's own website...

Will post more information as and when it comes through..


edit- http://geo.tv
 

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Protests against Pakistani government turn violent

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's opposition leader defied house arrest on Sunday to join anti-government protests that quickly descended into violence and chaos, with running battles between stone-throwing protesters and police.

The power struggle between Pakistan's president and the opposition leader Nawaz Sharif threatens to paralyze the government and, alarmingly for the U.S., distract the nuclear-armed country from its fight against Taliban militants operating along the Afghan border.

Hundreds of police surrounded the Lahore residence of Sharif, a former prime minister, before dawn on Sunday and detained him along with scores of his supporters, a party spokesman said.

Officers in the eastern Pakistani city showed party officials an order placing Sharif and his politician brother Shahbaz under house arrest for three days, spokesman Pervaiz Rasheed said.

Sharif denounced the order as illegal and later left the house in a convoy of vehicles packed with chanting, flag-waving supporters, headed for a downtown rally that had already turned violent.

Mobs accompanying the swelling convoy smashed the windows of buses parked along the route. Others torched tires, sending plumes of black smoke into the blue sky over a usually bustling boulevard littered with stones and empty tear gas shells.

"These are the decisive moments," Sharif told supporters before he climbed into his car. "I tell every Pakistani youth that this is not the time to stay home; Pakistan is calling you to come and save me."

Rao Iftikhar, a senior government official, said authorities reconsidered the restrictions on Sharif to allow him to address the rally and return home afterward.

Washington worries that the crisis will further destabilize the shaky the year-old government and prevent it from being an effective ally in the fight against insurgents in Afghanistan.

Suspected militants attacked a transport terminal in northwestern Pakistan used to supply NATO troops in Afghanistan before dawn on Sunday and torched dozens of containers and military vehicles, police said.

Lawyers and opposition party supporters had planned to gather near Lahore's main court complex before heading toward Islamabad to stage a mass sit-in front of Parliament, in defiance of a government ban.

To thwart them, authorities parked trucks across major roads on the edge of the city, and riot police took up positions outside the railway station and government buildings.

Still, several thousands flag-waving demonstrators pushed past police barricades to reach the courts.

Protesters pelted some of the hundreds of riot police ringing the area with rocks, triggering running clashes. An Associated Press reporter saw one officer led away with a head wound.

Police repeatedly fired tear gas, scattering the crowd, and beat several stragglers with batons, only for the demonstrators to return with fresh supplies of sticks and stones.

Shahbaz Sharif and a host of other protest leaders went underground to dodge their own detention orders. Iftikhar said they had been issued for the head of Pakistan's main Islamist party and cricketer star-turned-politician Imran Khan.

Television images showed police commandos wearing flak jackets and armed with assault rifles apparently searching for Shahbaz in Rawalpindi, just south of the capital.

The political turmoil began last month when the Supreme Court disqualified the Sharif brothers from elected office, over convictions dating back to an earlier chapter in Pakistan's turbulent political history.

Zardari compounded the crisis by dismissing the Sharifs' administration in Punjab, Pakistan's biggest and richest province, of which Lahore is the capital.

The brothers then threw their support behind plans by lawyers to stage an indefinite sit-in in Islamabad — a move officials say would bring the government to a standstill and present a target to terrorists.

On Saturday, after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to both Zardari and Nawaz Sharif by telephone, the government announced it would appeal the Supreme Court ruling in the coming days.

Sharif's party welcomed the move but stuck by its demand for a shake-up of the judiciary.

Zardari refuses to reinstate a group of independent-minded judges fired by Musharraf.

Many observers suspect Zardari fears the judges could challenge a pact signed by Musharraf that quashed long-standing corruption charges against him and his wife, slain former leader Benazir Bhutto.

Skeptics suspect Sharif of hoping to force early elections, from which he and Islamist parties would likely profit.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkiMxbHNH0BqgpWA2ZG6VD6wVTmAD96UF6RO0
 

Singh

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City on knife edge



The news broke around 6:30am local time.

When I heard, I could not quite believe it.

Nawaz Sharif, former prime minister and leader of the biggest opposition party, under house arrest. All because of his support for the lawyers' protest movement and their call for sacked judges to be reinstated.

We were expecting something like this but after some last-minute negotiations between Sharif and the government, many here in Lahore believed a compromise was being reached.

'Long march'

Then, on Saturday night, Sharif held a news conference saying the "long march" would go ahead. This is said to have angered the government who then decided to place him under house arrest.

At the time of writing this I am outside the Sharif residence.

The situation is on a knife edge. Police in full riot gear standing menacingly outside the main gate of his house. His supporters demanding his freedom.

Sharif has spoken to us by phone, saying he will continue his fight.

His supporters wave their green party flags outside and chant "Long live Sharif!" and "Zardari is a dog".

The blame the Pakistani president for Sharif's current predicament.

It's another twist in a story that has more than its fair share.

This was supposed to a be great day for the lawyers' movement when they began the next stage in the "long march" that started on March 12 from cities across Pakistan.

But the government clampdown has had an effect on the marchers.

But it is not just house arrests - Lahore is a city under lockdown. Paramilitary forces race through its normally packed streets.

Sweeping steps

Pakistan's government, fearful of the anti-government march, has taken sweeping measures to stop lawyers and protesters gathering at their first stop en route to their ultimate destination: the parliament in Islamabad.

One group of lawyers decided to camp inside the court in Lahore hoping to avoid security cordons, only to be locked inside.

Still they are determined.

Behind the locked gates they chant: "We will go to Islamabad we will stage our sit in."

The quiet on the streets didn't last long. Clashes broke out between lawyers and police, and tear-gas shells were fired.

Still the lawyers are adamant that they will protest all the way to Islamabad. But with key figures under house arrest and streets blocked, it would seem their determination to march is matched only by the government's determination to stop them.

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/03/2009315114222724652.html
 

Rage

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Nawaz spearheads long march to Islamabad

Updated at: 2130 PST, Sunday, March 15, 2009


LAHORE: The long march is on its way to Islamabad led by Pakistan Muslim League-N Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif.

The long march comprises of lawyers, political workers and members of civil society.

Police tried to block the way of caravan at different locations. The PML-N Quaid managed to come out of his Model Town residence despite an order of detention which was served to him. However, the police retreated after a little while giving way to the caravan.

At GPO Road, clash broke out between enraged protesters and police which used heavy shelling to disperse the protestors. The Nawaz-led caravan comprising party workers and people kept marching on, breaking all the hurdles erected on their way while scuffles between police and protesters continued.

The caravan crossed the Kalma Chowk where heavy contingents of police were deployed to stop the march. However, the police disappeared after a while.

The number of people participating in the long march kept building up steadily and the caravan of hundreds turned into thousands. The police seemed to have changed its strategy and decided to retreat upon seeing the ocean of people approaching.

Rose petals are being sprinkled at participants of the rally by people who have turned out in great number to show solidarity with the long march. The caravan has reached Ravi bridge after it left Nawaz Sharif’s Model Town residence seven hours ago.

The political workers are removing all obstacles placed at various locations by the government to foil long march.

It has been reliably learnt that the PMN-N Quaid and the rally participants will stay for a while at Muridke. They will also have super there before going to Islamabad.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=71633

x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x

Nawaz-led long march reaches GPO Chowk

Updated at: 1805 PST, Sunday, March 15, 2009



LAHORE: The long march led by Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif has reached GPO Chowk, Lahore.

The long march comprises thousands of participants including lawyers, political workers and members of civil society.

Police tried to block the way of caravan led by Nawaz Sharif who came out of his house in spite of the government orders of detention served to him. However, the police retreated after a little while giving way to the caravan.

At GPO Road, clash broke out between enraged protesters and police which used heavy shelling to disperse the protestors.

The Nawaz-led caravan comprising party workers and people kept marching on, breaking all the hurdles erected on their way while scuffles between police and protesters continued.

Police deployment has been increased in Model Town where barbed wires were laid to block the roads. Heavy shelling was used to thwart the protest and marchers were baton charged, injuring many protesters.

Nawaz Sharif spear-headed the long march along with flood of people, pushing ahead through barricades and hurdles. They crossed the Kalma Chowk where heavy contingents of police were deployed to stop the march. However, the police disappeared after a while.

The number of people participating in the long march kept building up steadily and the caravan of hundreds turned into thousands.

The police seemed to have changed its strategy and decided to retreat upon seeing the ocean of people approaching.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=71621
 

Rage

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All demands acceptable except Iftikhar’s reinstatement: Zardari

* President says entire system can’t be paralysed for an individual
* Says he is ready to hold talks with PML-N


Sunday, March 15, 2009


LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari has said he is ready to accept all of the demands put forward by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) except for the reinstatement of sacked chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, a private TV channel reported on Saturday.

Individual: According to the channel, the president told senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders at a meeting on Saturday that it was incorrect to “paralyse the entire country and the government for the sake of an individual”. Apparently in a bid to justify his stance, the president said that Iftikhar Chaudhry had also taken oath under the PCO.

According to Online news agency, Zardari said the sacked chief justice would be given seniority if he took fresh oath like the rest of the judges sacked in the wake of the 2007 emergency.

Talks: The channel quoted the president as saying that he was ready to hold talks with Nawaz Sharif under the Charter of Democracy (CoD) signed between the PPP and PML-N. He also said PCO judges could be removed if the PML-N distanced itself from the lawyers’ long march and held talks in line with the CoD. He claimed that the long march and the sit-in were part of efforts to “damage the democratic government”.

He said that issues should be resolved in parliament, not on the streets. He said that his doors were open for talks, and called on the PML-N to come to the negotiations table.

He told the meeting at the Presidency that the PPP believed in reconciliation and dialogue, and that was the reason the federal government had decided to file a review petition seeking the reversal of the Sharifs’ disqualification.

The meeting adopted a unanimous resolution endorsing Zardari as the leader of the country and the ruling party. daily times monitor/staff report


http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\03\15\story_15-3-2009_pg1_5
 

EnlightenedMonk

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* President says entire system can’t be paralysed for an individual
* Says he is ready to hold talks with PML-N
Yes absolutely correct... In fact, news just coming in that he's going to be talking with Nawaz Sharif... The venue is to be Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and he's even sent one of his special buses to pick up Sharif... :D:D:D:D
 

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Pakistan judge celebrates return

Tuesday, 24 March 2009


Pakistan's chief justice has made a triumphant return to work following his reinstatement amid mass protests by the opposition and lawyers.

Supporters threw rose petals as Iftikhar Chaudhry arrived for his first day back at work at the Supreme Court in Islamabad.

He urged lawyers to purge the judicial system of corruption.

The government reinstated Mr Chaudhry, who was sacked by ex-President Pervez Musharraf, to stave off a mass rally.

Mr Chaudhry was formally restored to his post at midnight on Saturday but Tuesday was his first day at work following Monday's National Day public holiday.

(Watch: Supporters dance and throw rose petals as Iftikhar Chaudhry returns to work)


Islamabad tense

Mr Chaudhry was greeted by about 250 lawyers who danced and shouted "welcome! welcome!" on his return. They threw rose petals and let off balloons.

"It is a source of great satisfaction... that after this long period, the court has been re-established in its original form," Mr Chaudhry told the gathered lawyers.

"There is an endemic corruption in this institution. This cannot be eradicated without the help of lawyers."

He added: "I will request all of you, being officers of this court, to put your house in order first."

Mr Chaudhry was dismissed in 2007 by Pervez Musharraf, who feared the Supreme Court would disqualify him from contesting the presidential election while still wearing military uniform.

The government of President Asif Ali Zardari had pledged to reinstate him.

However its failure to do so was believed to be linked to the fact that Mr Chaudhry had challenged an amnesty given by Gen Musharraf to Mr Zardari to allow him to return to Pakistan to contest elections.

If the amnesty was overturned, Mr Zardari, the widower of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, could be left exposed to corruption charges.

The protests for Mr Chaudhry's reinstatement grew much stronger when the main opposition of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif strengthened its support for the lawyers' demands.

The protests and unrest had alarmed Western powers, and the US envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, hailed the government's decision to reinstate Mr Chaudhry.

Mr Zardari said in his National Day address to the nation on Monday that political factions should set aside their differences.

"I urge everyone to work in the spirit of tolerance, mutual accommodation, and respect for dissent and invite every one to participate in the national effort for national reconciliation and healing the wounds," he said.

Mr Zardari called on Pakistanis to uphold the "independence of the judiciary".

Islamabad remains tense after a suicide bomber killed himself and a police officer at a police station in the capital.

The station houses the offices of the nation's Special Branch.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7960579.stm
 

Rage

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A well-written article that summarizes it all:


A victory for the nation and for justice

Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Shireen M Mazari


The direct nation-state confrontation that began with the start of the Pakistani people's long march for the restoration of the constitutional Chief Justice and an independent judiciary ended in a state of national jubilation on March 16 as the prime minister announced the use of his executive authority to restore Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The nation had cause to celebrate since it defied all pressures from within the country and from our external so-called allies. The US especially had sought to push the defiant political leaders into accepting unacceptable compromises and trusting the tried, tested and found wanting leadership of the country. Now the US may put any spin on the issue it wants but the fact of the matter is that the people of Pakistan led by the lawyers and critically supported by some of the main political parties defied the state and its foreign detractors to secure a victory for justice.

There is much talk of the army leadership compelling the political leaders to move in the right direction as well as the US and Britain goading the politicians into compromising their zero-sum postures. But what seems to have been forgotten is why were these centres of power pushing the government especially into "doing the right thing" once the defiance of the PML-N leadership had become clear – that was the power of the people who refused to back down from their long march and dharna despite the impending use of force that was put on show. So let us see March 16 as a victory of the people of Pakistan.

However, efforts to undermine that victory have not stopped. The notification that was expected on March 16 for the restoration of the deposed judges had still to come out by the morning of March 17. Some questions were also being asked about the restoration of the chief justice and other judges without restoration of the November 2 judiciary. A dampener was also the legitimation of Dogar's chief justice-ship by restoring CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry only after the former's retirement. As Aqil Sajjad put it, "the attempt is being made to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory". Even more sickening is the present PPP leadership's claims to having lived up to its signed commitments to restore the CJP! Clearly the nation is being regarded as almost imbecilic since it is being told in all seriousness that President Zardari actually intended to restore Iftikhar Chaudhry all along! If the people were prepared to fight the state to have their long march and dharna they are certainly not fooled by the nauseating statements coming forth from the president and his minions. But the nation is busy celebrating the success of its determination against all odds and can afford to ignore the shenanigans of the presidential apologists.

However, once the euphoria dies down and life confronts reality again, the contradictions will surface. But this time there is the hope of knocking at the doors of the superior judiciary and actually expecting to get justice. That is why the long-suffering but indefatigable Amina Janjua had a broad smile on her weary face on March 16 and that is why so many ordinary Pakistanis had made their way from across the land to the capital for what was to be a dharna but turned into a national celebration. There were the people from South Waziristan who were brimming with tales of horror and death at the hands of the US drones and there were people from southern Punjab whose lives had become hell as a result of the "thana-kutchery" culture that envelops rural Punjab and there were always the families of the "disappeared" Pakistanis – all these dispossessed people saw a hope of a new beginning in the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

Of course, it is a heavy burden for one man to shoulder but it is not really a question of an individual but of the symbol that he has become. What will make the difference is that under his leadership the judiciary can find the strength to assert its independence at all levels – especially at the grassroots where effectively there is no provision of justice by the state. If the people of Swat sought the return of the Qazi courts, it was not without reason. If we are to avoid repeats of Swat then the state had better deliver.

Meanwhile, let our foreign detractors realise that at the end of the day there is no standing in the way of a people determined to fight for what it believes in. While the nation was focused on the judiciary, the US was busy killing more Pakistanis in FATA as well as trying to sabotage the peace deal in Bajaur. The nation needs to deal with these foreign elements seeking to write foreign blueprints for our state and society. While the nation was showing its strength, the foreign media and foreign governments saw Pakistani people power as a sign of Pakistan on the brink or of actually collapsing. Wishful thinking on their parts given that the long march was a resurgence of this nation.

What chaos there was, was created by the government itself with efforts to deny the people their democratic expression of dissent. If one is to believe the unbelievable – that Zardari and his PPP intended to restore the chief justice all along, why was the need felt to cause chaos and misery to the people through confiscation of containers and sealing off of the cities, not to mention the use of teargas, stones, and batons by the police against an unarmed populace? But it really does not matter for the rulers stand exposed and the nation has discovered its own strength if it is determined to fight for what it believes in.

There are still many challenges confronting this nation – not only in the judicial context but also on many fronts. We still have to fight the continuing destabilisation of the country by the US with its killings in FATA. We still have a problem of terrorism that has changed qualitatively as a direct result of our state's alliance with the US in its military agenda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. There is the evil of religious extremism that is eroding at the tolerant Islamic ethos of traditional Pakistan on the one hand, and the growing extremism of the westernised elite on the other, both reducing the space for moderates and acceptance of "the other". We continue to have the threat of an ever more belligerent Indian state on our eastern border, now with a covert presence on our western border also. The issue of our nuclear assets continues to crop up conveniently in the west every time there is political protest in Pakistan. And, amid all these problems, there is the growing misery of the ordinary Pakistani in the face of rising costs of mere existence.

But the first battle has been won and we can seek to address some of these issues through judicial redress. As for the coming battles, the democratic political space for dissension has been secured by the people. Another ray of hope is the new political awareness amongst the youth who joined the long marchers and brought with them an unbridled fervour oblivious to the hazards of fighting state power. Perhaps the most heartening factor has been the recognition by the people that they can assert their agenda even if the state and external powers resist or try to undermine this assertion. Now perhaps the State can learn from this and evolve the ability to say "no" to foreign powers like the US who are killing our people using our territory and our military resources and thereby destabilising our polity. Or perhaps the people will have to take a lead on that count also especially with the judicial hope that is now rekindled.

Finally, after witnessing the container-communication blockage drama of the government, we should now accept that our leadership may be suffering from a collective case of Akrasia – which is a recognised psychological condition defined as "the state of acting against one's better judgement". There is a debate that has been going on since the time of Plato as to what causes this – whether it is a weakness of will or the reverse. Whatever the cause, we need to find a cure before such akratic behaviour destroys this nation.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=167711
 

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