LHR 11-01-2012_Layout 1 1/11/2012 2:55 AM Page 1
rs15.00 vol ii no 195 22 pages lahore —
edition
pakistantoday.com.pk
6 options, 6 days SC says ‘prima facie, PM may not be an honest person on account of his not being honest to the oath of his office’ g
MASOOD REHMAN
T
iSLaMabaD
IMe is short and the choices are limited. The fivem e m b e r Supreme Court bench on Tuesday framed a chargesheet against the prime minister and left the matter for the larger bench to finally take a decision and, exercising judicial restraint, gave the government a chance to reconsider its position on the implementation of the apex court’s decision on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) by January 16. What set the alarm bells ringing in the corridors of power was the five-member bench’s observation that the prime minister had violated his oath and that he, prima facie, was not an honest man who met the constitutional condition for being elected as a member of parliament. Announcing its order on the government’s failure to implement the NRO verdict, the five-judge special bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa held that the persistent, obstinate and contumacious resistance, failure and refusal of the prime minister to completely obey and execute the directions issued in the NRO case reflected that “at least prima facie, he may not be an honest person on account of his not being honest to the oath of his office and seemingly he may not be an ‘ameen’ due to his persistent betrayal of the trust reposed in him as a person responsible for preserving, protecting and defending the constitution and also on
account of allowing his personal political interest to influence his official conduct and decisions”. The court held that the federal government and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were not serious in implementing the NRO verdict at all and were only interested in delaying and prolonging the matter on one pretext or the other.The court pointed out that it could take six options against the willful disobedience of the government in implementing some parts of the NRO verdict and consequent directions. In its first option, the court held that failure to implement the NRO verdict was a case of brazen and blatant failure or refusal of the federal government and the buck stopped at the office of the chief executive of the federation, the prime minister. The court held that the prime minister had violated his oath by not executing and implementing the NRO verdict. The court said the prime minister in his oath had made an unambiguous commitment with God not only to conduct himself completely in accord with the commands and requirements of the constitution, including those of Articles 2A, 37(d), 189 and 190 thereof, also totally in sync with the requirements and teachings of the Holy Quran, but he violated his oath by not obeying the court orders. Continued on page 04
govt Cornered into isolation | page o4
Wednesday, 11 January, 2012 safar 16, 1433
Government opts to huddle behind parliament g
Prime minister to present govt’s case in NA on Thursday ISLAMABAD Mian abrar
Now it’s between the parliament and the judiciary. With the Supreme Court leaving no space for the government to further dilly-dally on the implementation of the National Reconciliation Ordinance verdict and holding the prime minister responsible for obstructing action on its decisions, President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday rushed to Islamabad for a meeting with his party’s coalition partners to seek their support and it was decided that the matter would now be taken to parliament to respond to the judiciary. Faced with a tough situation in a standoff between the government and the judiciary, the heads of ruling coalition on Tuesday decided to throw the ball in parliament’s court after failing
to reach a consensus on a joint future plan of action on implementation of the Supreme Court’s NRO verdict. “Now the government will not respond to the judiciary as now the parliament will decide what to do,” a source told Pakistan Today after the meetings of the parliamentary heads with the president and the core committee of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). He said it was also decided that no statement would be issued by the government but the response by the parliament would, however, be strong. The source said the prime minister would make a speech in the National Assembly giving details of what the government had implemented with regard to the SC’s decision on the NRO, besides highlighting how the court had ridiculed government officials and functionaries by selectively taking up
the cases against the executive. The source said a resolution might also be passed by the House in favour of the prime minister, reposing confidence in him to send a strong message that the parliament stood by him. He quoted the president as saying that the judiciary had become a party and this was the reason that he was opposed to the restoration of the judges. Though a private TV channel said the president had asked his coalition partners that he was ready to resign if they desired or advised so, it was not confirmed by the Presidency. An official handout issued from the Presidency stated that leaders of the allied parties decided to convene National Assembly’s session on January 12 (tomorrow). Continued on page 04
Pir Pagara passes away in London NEWS DESK Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) chief and spiritual leader of the Hur community Pir Syed Mardan Shah II, more commonly known as Pir Sahib Pagara, passed away in London late on Tuesday night, Geo News reported. He was 83. The veteran politician was taken to London by a special air ambulance on January 5 along with his physician and family members for treatment of infected lungs. His sons Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi and Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi, his wife, physician Dr Saulat, secretary Dr Karim Mehar and adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister Imtiaz Shaikh were also in London to oversee his treatment at a private hospital. Hazrat Pir Syed Mardan Shah II was
the leader of the Sunni Muslim Sufi order of Hurs in Sindh. His father, Hazrat Pir Syed Sibghatullah Shah, was hanged on March 20, 1943 by the British colonial government during his struggle against British rule. He will be buried in his native town of Pir Jo Goth, Khairpur district, Sindh, where he was born. Pir Syed Mardan Shah II was given the title
of Pir Pagara in 1922 when he was only 12. Pagara was fond of horse races and he often spent his Sundays at the Karachi Race Course. He also took active part in Pakistani politics since the 1960s. When Fatima Jinnah lost elections to Ayub Khan, she declared the Muslim League “Functional” and made Pir Pagaro the head. In politics, he was known for his predictions for governments and his supporters believe his predictions to be correct. He was first arrested in 1930 for his struggle against British rule and Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah represented him in court. The news of his death spread like wildfire throughout Sindh as his followers and party workers began to mourn his demise. His body will be flown to Karachi today (Wednesday) as the Sindh CM announced a three-day mourning in the province.