The ruling by Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to disqualify Yousaf Raza Gilani as prime minister has sent the Asif Ali Zardari-led Pakistan People's Party government into a deep political crisis. Amir Mir reports from Islamabad
As a fresh confrontation appeared imminent between Pakistan People's Party government and the judiciary, former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has warned that this time the ruling party will not take any "unconstitutional" move by the Supreme Court against his successor "lying down".
Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said Pakistan was humiliated at the NATO Summit in Chicago because of President Asif Ali Zardari's "zero credibility".
The ongoing war of words between a former Pakistani chief of army staff general and a former ISI chief, trading allegations and counter allegations in the supreme court and blaming each other for payment of millions of rupees among anti-Pakistan People's Party politicians to influence the results of the 1990 general elections, has abundantly made it clear how Pakistan's powerful military and intelligence establishment has been manipulating domestic politics for decades now.
President Asif Ali Zardari has broken his silence on a stand-off between the government and the judiciary, saying parliament is the true representative of Pakistan's people and will continue legislating on all issues of public concern.
Observers said the victory was significant as it came in the wake of the former premier's conviction and disqualification by the apex court for refusing to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari as well as growing disenchantment with the PPP-led government at the centre following widespread allegations of corruption.
Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf will announce on August 14 the roadmap for the next general elections that are likely to be held in the first week of November, months ahead of schedule.
The Pakistan People's Party-led government will install a caretaker government in March next year to oversee the next general election, which will be held by May 18, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has said.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari plans to not only disband the political wing of the spy agency but also make it accountable to his country's parliament, reports Amir Mir
Fifteen lawmakers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, a key ally of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, were on Monday included in new Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf's council of ministers.
A Pakistani court on Monday constituted a larger bench to hear a contempt of court petition against President Asif Ali Zardari while a lawyer filed a plea in the supreme court challenging the president's immunity and holding of dual offices.
Pakistan's new Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf retained most key members of former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani's cabinet in the same positions as he allocated portfolios among his council of ministers.
The ruling Pakistan People's Party on Friday named former IT Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf as it candidate for the post of prime minister hours before a special session of Parliament convened to elect a new premier.
Raja Parvez Ashraf, Pakistan Peoples Party's prime minister, is a strong loyalist of the Bhutto family and hails from a royal family of Rawalpindi in Punjab.
There is a growing feeling within that country that these might provide a fresh start by bringing a new, and perhaps less corrupt and more responsive, government to power, says Seema Mustafa
The name of the Pakistan People's Party's nominee for the office of the prime minister will be announced at a press conference at 11 am on Friday, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said on Thursday.
Senior Pakistan People's Party leader Raja Parvez Ashraf on Thursday emerged the leading contender for the post of premier despite reservations over his candidature within the ruling party and its allies.
A last minute drama on Thursday marked the selection of Pakistan's new prime minister as the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party choice Makhdoom Shahbuddin was issued a non-bailable warrant by an anti-drug court as he was filing his nomination, virtually ending his prospects.
A special session of Pakistan Parliament will be convened on Friday to elect a new premier following Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's disqualification by the supreme court.
Two persons were killed and property worth millions of rupees was damaged as violent protests against prolonged power outages spread across Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab, officials said on Tuesday.
The Pakistani PM explained how the war-like scenario could erupt in the middle of the current tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. He said Kashmiris would protest and India would launch a crackdown on them.
Pakistan's main opposition Pakistan Muslim Lea-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif has demanded early elections, amidst speculation about the future of beleaguered President Asif Ali Zardari and the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government that has been rocked by string of crises.
A minor Christian girl arrested on a blasphemy charge in Islamabad continues to be held in a high-security jail despite her case being taken up by Pakistan's ruling Pakistan People's Party.
"The continuous carpet bombing of Pakistan by drones is not only counterproductive on the war on terror, it's also an egregious violation of our sovereignty and must end," Bilawal Bhutto told the MSNBC news channel in an interview.
A four-judge bench of the Lahore high court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial issued the direction after hearing arguments by the government's lawyer, Waseem Sajjad, who argued that the court had not passed any formal order to bar Zardari from holding the two offices of President and co-chairman of the PPP.
As the Pakistan People's Party plans to file a review petition against the Supreme Court verdict on Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, experts say that the premier should step down on moral grounds before the country plunges into another political crisis. Tahir Ali reports
"The withdrawal of Pakistani troops is possible provided India also agrees. It will not be a unilateral decision," he said while addressing a convention of workers of his Pakistan People's Party in Okara district, 100 km from Lahore, on Friday.
Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf was forced to delay his planned return to the country from self-exile after he failed to get any assurances from the military and the Pakistan People's Party-led government about his security, sources said on Friday. Two Pakistani courts have issued arrest warrants for Musharraf in cases related to the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti and former premier Benazir Bhutto.
A Pakistani court on Wednesday rejected a petition seeking the registration of a criminal case against Mansoor Ijaz, the central character in the memo scandal, for allegedly inciting people against the government. Additional Sessions Judge Wajahat Hussain of Islamabad rejected the petition filed by Khalid Javed, an activist of the ruling Pakistan People's Party.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has agreed to visit Pakistan on the invitation of Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
"I have read about the ISI chief's statement in the media but I don't think the intelligence agency has stopped monitoring the activities of our politicians," a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, who did not want to be named, said.
The election of a new prime minister by Pakistan's National Assembly on Friday will be a three-way contest between Raja Parvez Ashraf of the ruling PPP, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi of the main opposition PML-N and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Little known Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Pakistan Peoples Party's nominee for the prime minister, is a strong loyalist of the Bhutto family and hails from a revered spiritual family in south Punjab.
Pakistan Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ineligible to hold the office and said he stood disqualified since April 26 when he was convicted and sentenced for contempt.
Amid controversy over Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's dual office, the Lahore high Court on Wednesday issued a notice to him to explain by September 14 why he had not followed its direction to relinquish the political post of co-chairman of the ruling Pakistan People's Party.
At loggerheads with the powerful army, the Pakistan government has issued a show-cause notice to the defence secretary for submitting an affidavit on the memo scandal to the Supreme Court without seeking approval from the defence minister. Lieutenant General (retired) Khalid Naeem Lodhi, considered to be very close to army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, was issued the notice last week.
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Asharf will appear in the Supreme Court on Monday to face a contempt charge though a section of the ruling Pakistan People's Party is opposed to the move, sources said on Sunday.
Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari was on Tuesday acquitted in a corruption case dating back to the 1990s when his slain wife Benazir Bhutto was prime minister.
Acknowledging that Hindus face a lot of challenges in Sindh, sister of President Asif Ali Zardari said in Pakistan's parliament on Thursday that Hindu girls are being forcibly kept in madrassas in the province and are forced to marry Muslims.
Former president Pervez Musharraf, currently living in self-exile in Britain and Dubai, will be arrested whenever he returns to Pakistan, Punjab Governor Latif Khosa has said.
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