Pakistan PM defiant as he faces day in court
Ben DohertyJanuary 18, 2012
smh.com.au
''Parliament is supreme'' … Mr Gilani, right, and Mr Zardari. Photo: AFP
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Prime Minister has vowed to appear before the Supreme Court tomorrow to answer a charge of contempt, but has threatened that if his government is sunk by a judicial ruling, the country's institutions of state will go down with it.
Yousaf Raza Gilani used the occasion of a national assembly vote in support of his government to stress ''that parliament is supreme'' in a democratic system and cautioned other players not to overstep the ''limits imposed on them by the constitution''.
''The judiciary or the army may have differences of opinion with the government but if there is no democracy, nothing would survive and all would have to go,'' Mr Gilani said.
''If the democratic system is packed up, all of us would have to go home. No one would go alone and rather all would go in the same box.''
Mr Gilani appealed to the primacy of parliament because it is the place where he still commands support. He has few friends in Pakistan's other powerful institutions of state.
In addition to the contempt charge he faces from the Supreme Court this week, Mr Gilani's government is locked in a feud with the country's military over a secret memo it allegedly sent to the US, and faces a separate judicial inquiry on the same matter.
Mr Gilani took comfort from a small win on Monday when the national assembly voted in favour of his party's vague, aspirational resolution ''strengthening democracy''.
It was a win marred by an opposition walkout, and it may be his last victory for a while.
The government has fought battles on several fronts over several months - and Mr Gilani has nimbly kept any of them from sinking his administration - but the contempt charges, if proven, could lead to him being jailed, and would end his prime ministership, if not his government.
Two years ago the Supreme Court overturned an amnesty law protecting the Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari, the head of Mr Gilani's Pakistan Peoples Party, from prosecution.
The court ordered that an investigation into Swiss corruption allegations against Mr Zardari be re-started. The government has refused, claiming that Mr Zardari, as head of state, enjoys immunity.
The bench's patience wore thin on Monday. Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk told a packed courtroom: ''We have no option but to proceed with contempt of court proceedings against the Prime Minister.''
Mr Gilani told parliament he would appear in court ''out of respect for the institution'', but he is unlikely to comply with an order to write to Swiss authorities allowing them to re-open investigations.
The Supreme Court has already warned it has the power to dismiss the Prime Minister over his contempt, a move which would almost certainly spark elections.
Analysts believe a military coup - Pakistan has had three - is unlikely at this time, and that an early poll is likely the only circuit-breaker to Pakistan's present political impasse.
Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Professor of Political Science at Lahore University of Management Sciences, told the Herald that Mr Gilani would face only increasing pressure from his political enemies. ''There is a strong possibility of early general elections in the country … elections are meant to resolve the confrontation,'' he said.
The ''memogate'' scandal, where the government is alleged to have written an anonymous, secret memo to the US pleading for American support against a military coup, has destroyed the government's relationship with the military, Professor Rais said.
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http://www.smh.com.au/world/pakistan-pm-defiant-as-he-faces-day-in-court-20120117-1q4re.html#ixzz1jirypokM
Ben DohertyJanuary 18, 2012
smh.com.au
''Parliament is supreme'' … Mr Gilani, right, and Mr Zardari. Photo: AFP
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Prime Minister has vowed to appear before the Supreme Court tomorrow to answer a charge of contempt, but has threatened that if his government is sunk by a judicial ruling, the country's institutions of state will go down with it.
Yousaf Raza Gilani used the occasion of a national assembly vote in support of his government to stress ''that parliament is supreme'' in a democratic system and cautioned other players not to overstep the ''limits imposed on them by the constitution''.
''The judiciary or the army may have differences of opinion with the government but if there is no democracy, nothing would survive and all would have to go,'' Mr Gilani said.
''If the democratic system is packed up, all of us would have to go home. No one would go alone and rather all would go in the same box.''
Mr Gilani appealed to the primacy of parliament because it is the place where he still commands support. He has few friends in Pakistan's other powerful institutions of state.
In addition to the contempt charge he faces from the Supreme Court this week, Mr Gilani's government is locked in a feud with the country's military over a secret memo it allegedly sent to the US, and faces a separate judicial inquiry on the same matter.
Mr Gilani took comfort from a small win on Monday when the national assembly voted in favour of his party's vague, aspirational resolution ''strengthening democracy''.
It was a win marred by an opposition walkout, and it may be his last victory for a while.
The government has fought battles on several fronts over several months - and Mr Gilani has nimbly kept any of them from sinking his administration - but the contempt charges, if proven, could lead to him being jailed, and would end his prime ministership, if not his government.
Two years ago the Supreme Court overturned an amnesty law protecting the Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari, the head of Mr Gilani's Pakistan Peoples Party, from prosecution.
The court ordered that an investigation into Swiss corruption allegations against Mr Zardari be re-started. The government has refused, claiming that Mr Zardari, as head of state, enjoys immunity.
The bench's patience wore thin on Monday. Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk told a packed courtroom: ''We have no option but to proceed with contempt of court proceedings against the Prime Minister.''
Mr Gilani told parliament he would appear in court ''out of respect for the institution'', but he is unlikely to comply with an order to write to Swiss authorities allowing them to re-open investigations.
The Supreme Court has already warned it has the power to dismiss the Prime Minister over his contempt, a move which would almost certainly spark elections.
Analysts believe a military coup - Pakistan has had three - is unlikely at this time, and that an early poll is likely the only circuit-breaker to Pakistan's present political impasse.
Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Professor of Political Science at Lahore University of Management Sciences, told the Herald that Mr Gilani would face only increasing pressure from his political enemies. ''There is a strong possibility of early general elections in the country … elections are meant to resolve the confrontation,'' he said.
The ''memogate'' scandal, where the government is alleged to have written an anonymous, secret memo to the US pleading for American support against a military coup, has destroyed the government's relationship with the military, Professor Rais said.
=================================================
http://www.smh.com.au/world/pakistan-pm-defiant-as-he-faces-day-in-court-20120117-1q4re.html#ixzz1jirypokM
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