Pak Tea House » Entries tagged with "Prime Minister"
When the court jester becomes king
By BB: An accidental president begets an accidental prime minister. In the case of Pakistan, the accidental president has beget not one, but two accidental prime ministers. Exit Yousaf Raza Gilani. Enter Raja Pervez Ashraf. So what was President Asif Ali Zardari thinking? Is he prone to inept decisions? Did he not learn the first time? Or could it be that it is we, the people of Pakistan that have some learning to do. On June 22, Raja Pervez Ashraf forged, or shall we say weaseled, his way ahead of Pakistan People’s Party heavy weights Makhdoom Shahbuddin and Qamar Zaman Kaira literally in the nick of the night to become the fifteenth Prime Minister of Pakistan. The Supreme Court had just sent the premier, Yousaf Raza Gilani, packing. Speculations were rife. Pakistan was running headless. The media was frantic, mulling … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
The decision to oust Prime Minister Gilani
By Yasser Latif Hamdani A few hours ago the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that Yusuf Raza Gilani stands disqualified under 63(1) g of the Constitution. I have written extensively on this in many of my previous blog posts which may be found on this website. However I’d like to state some basic issues with this judgment in clear and unambiguous terms (sadly no one speaks in those in Pakistan: 1. The Supreme Court of Pakistan, in my legal opinion, is NOT vested with the authority under the constitution to dismiss the Prime Minister or over-rule the decisions of the Speaker i.e. Presiding Officer of the National Assembly whose decisions are his or her privilege and are covered by the parliamentary privilege clause. 2. Chief Justice of Pakistan/the entire Supreme Court of Pakistan has no … Read entire article »
Filed under: Judiciary, Justice, Pakistan, Parliament
Justice served
by Saad Hafiz The Supreme Court (SC) has decided to indict Prime Minister Gilani for contempt of court for his refusal to write a letter to the Swiss authorities asking them to restore corruption cases against President Zardari in that country. The contempt proceedings against PM Gilani stem from an earlier SC ruling which threw out the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in 2009. The NRO issued by the former President General Musharraf in 2007 granted amnesty … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
SHAME: "Progressive" 18th Amendment Ends Forever The Possibility Of A Non-Muslim Prime Minister!
By Yasser Latif Hamdani I know the self styled “progressives” hate it when I bring up Pakistan’s founding father but here I am forced to do so again: Even now there are some States in existence where there are discriminations made and bars imposed against a particular class. Thank God, we are not starting in those days. We are starting in the days where there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State. - Mahomed Ali Jinnah, The Founder of Pakistan Sadly - Modern Pakistan is one of those states Jinnah warned against! If we started with this fundamental principle, well we have been moving backwards for over … Read entire article »
Filed under: Constitution, Democracy, Pakistan, People's Pakistan, Religion, secular Pakistan, Yusuf Raza Gillani
The current judiciary-executive standoff
We are posting Marvi Sirmed’s bold and controversial piece that made waves today in Pakistan’s media. This piece entitled “Let reason prevail” has a clear line and PTH does not necessarily subscribe to this point of view (editors). There is a judicial crisis, the media says. This claim seems to be correct if one realises the level of urgency the Supreme Court showed in responding to a presidential notification. This notification was nothing bigger than the elevation of the senior-most judge of the Lahore High Court (LHC) to the Supreme Court and the subsequent appointment of the second senior judge as the Acting Chief Justice of the LHC. Those having objections to the president’s notification say it violated Article 177 of the Constitution. The said Article provides for a consultation with … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Attention Madam Speaker Of The National Assembly Of Pakistan
I received this email and an appended letter to the honorable Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Dr. Fahmida Mirza. This is not being posted here for sectarian debate or any other kind of debate but for right of information- any attempts at introducing a theological debate on the issue shall be subject to automatic deletion. Surely the geniuses who believe that the second amendment to the constitution was justified should not have any problem bringing to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Liberal Democratic Pakistan, liberal Pakistan, minorities, Parliament, People's Pakistan, secular Pakistan
Are sections of Pakistani media destabilising democracy?
Bilal Qureshi has contributed this piece for PTH. We do not necessarily agree with all the contents of this article but the issue is important enough to be debated. (RR – ed PTH) Journalism 101, that is, the very first lesson of journalism is impartiality. In other words, journalists, at least in civilized societies don’t take any position on issues. And editors make sure that personal opinion don’t seep into the work that the journalists are assigned. This is common practice, and even in India, if you read the papers or watch their talk shows, it is impossible to associate journalists with any particular political party. So, in this light, it is utterly nauseating to see media in Pakistan, both electronic and print (especially Urdu media) engage in efforts to destabilize … Read entire article »
Is there an end to Pakistan’s perpetual misery?
PTH is not a partisan blog-zine. Our regular contributor, Bilal Quershi has sent this article for publication. We do not take any position on the views expressed here. However, in the interest of democracy and promoting and protecting free speech in Pakistan, we are publishing it. PTH Admin Is there an end to Pakistan’s perpetual misery? Of course, there is no easy answer for this question. Moreover, it also depends on who is answering this untimely and rude question. If you ask the coalition partners running the government, you are likely to get a tough, but realistic answer. But who cares about tough love, honesty, or facts, or honesty? On the other hand, if you ask the PML (N), you might get figures (don’t worry, they won’t add up in the end!) … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Whither Local Government?
By Ahmad Rafay Aam The prime minister has announced that the local government elections have been postponed indefinitely because of the security situation. Not content with using the security situation as the excuse to deprive citizens of their rightful public spaces, the government has employed it to adjourn, sine die, the democratic process. It is ironic that a democratically elected government has chosen to postpone an election. Is Democracy no longer The Best Revenge? … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Book Review: Premier Gillani’s Urdu Memoirs
by Bradistan Published biographies on the book shelves while the writer is still in Political office is a risky strategy. In case of Obama it paid huge dividends financially and politically and in case of Musharraf it caused embarrassment and innuendos. Premier Gillani’s book is like the gossip from an old friend who has attained position of authority and pays you a surprise visit. I revisited the idea of writing this review after the imposition of governor rule in Punjab and disqualification of Sharif bothers known to be personal friends of Premier Gillani and political rivals of President Zardari. Now Premier Gillani is again flying too close to the wind for reports of his alleged differences with his party chairman, fellow ex-prisoner and current President of Pakistan Mr Asif Ali Zardari. The Background of the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Army, Benazir Bhutto, Books, Democracy, dynasties, India, Islam, Islamabad, journalism, Media, New Writers, Politics, south asia, Taliban, Terrorism, Urdu
PAKISTAN: Putting Development Back on the Agenda
By Beena Sarwar KARACHI, Apr 2 (IPS) – Pakistan’s new prime minister has announced what many term a `revolutionary’ agenda: continue the `war on terror’ but on Pakistan’s terms, lift the long standing ban on student and trade unions, raise minimum wages, revoke `black’ media laws, provide relief for farmers and observe austerity. Yousuf Raza Gillani revealed his ambitious initial 100 day plan for his government after obtaining an unprecedented unanimous vote of confidence in the National Assembly. The plan has breathed fresh air into this nuclear-armed South Asian nation where military-dominated politics has long been marked by acrimony, bitterness and vengefulness. A new in-house advertisement on the popular television channel Geo TV captures the mood: clips of various politicians bantering, smiling and laughing. The slogan, `Jeo, muskura kar’ (`Live life with a smile’). The country that gave the world its first Muslim woman prime minister, Benazir … Read entire article »
Filed under: Benazir Bhutto, Citizens, Democracy, Elections, Pakistan, Parliament, Terrorism
Pakistan's public policy: austerity – penny wise, pound foolish
by Feisal Naqvi In his first speech as prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani introduced a number of austerity measures. So, the budget of Prime Minister House is going to be cut by 40 percent; all ministers will henceforth travel economy plus on domestic flights, rather than business class; and, no minister will travel in a car of more than 1600 cc. Frankly, my dear, I couldn’t give a damn. Actually, I do. This pseudo-austerity is not only irritating but counter-productive. And it is high time we got past our neuroses in this regard. This hypocritical obsession with ostensible cost-cutting is irritating because it serves no useful purpose. In fact, it is harmful because it reinforces the notion that instead of being normal humans, our elected representatives, judges and bureaucrats should all be exemplars of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Citizens, Conservation, Politics, public policy, Society, state
Yousuf Raza Gilani elected new Prime Minister of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Monday elected PPP’s Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani as the new prime minister of the country with thumping majority. Gilani bagged 264 votes. The rival candidate Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, fielded by the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and its allies secured 42 votes. In a maiden speech on the floor of National Assembly after he was elected as Prime Minister, he said, “I request the national assembly as my first job to pass a resolution for UN probe into the assassination of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.” Elaborating the top priorities of the new government, the newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani vowed to take all out efforts for the supremacy of parliament. He also said the National Assembly should pass another resolution to apologize to the nation for hanging of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Benazir Bhutto, Citizens, Democracy, Elections, Pakistan, Parliament, Politics, Society, state
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Comment on the current judicial crisis
February 15th, 2010 | 16 Comments
by Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim We are again faced with a judicial crisis – not a bonafide crisis but a crisis created for ulterior reasons. Ostensibly the crisis is the elevation of chief justice for the Lahore High Court in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the elevation of the next senior most judge Justice Saquib Nasir, as acting Chief Justice of Lahroe High Court (a la Zia ul Haq style). Being of the view that more harm is done by ignoring seniority, which opens the door for exercise of discretion in principle, I am against seniority being ignored, particularly in judiciary. My first reaction, therefore, was that the appointment of Chief Justice Lahore High Court to the Supreme Court and elevation of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Justice, Law, lawyers movement, Pakistan, Politics