Pakistan's mighty military establishment and a defiant judiciary seems to have joined hands to give a tough time to a fragile Pakistan People's Party government at a critical time -- just before the election of the new prime minister following the disqualification of Yousaf Raza Gilani by the supreme court on contempt charges. Amir Mir reports.
The confrontation between the two will continue in other forms and other arenas, but to describe the recent judgement disqualifying Gilani as a judicial coup would be overstating its significance and implications, says B Raman.
A Pakistani court on Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Pakistan Peoples Party prime ministerial candidate Makhdoom Shahabuddin in connection with alleged irregularities in the import of a large amount of the controlled drug Ephedrine during his tenure as health minister.
While Pakistan's right opposition parties as well as the mainstream Urdu media have welcomed the supreme court's verdict disqualifying Yousuf Raza Gilani as the prime minister, the country's liberal English newspapers have expressed serious reservations over the apex court's decision, describing it a judicial coup and stating that the judges' decision to play the role of judiciary, legislature and executive in Gilani's case, may find some takers. Amir Mir reports.
Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha's recent visit to Qatar, home to the US Central Command's regional headquarters, has sparked speculation about an 'intelligence back channel' between Pakistan and the US to reset troubled security cooperation.
Pakistan's supreme court referred to two judicial verdicts by Indian apex court in its ruling disqualifying Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani following his conviction of contempt.
Leaders of the ruling Pakistan People's Party believe that the allegations of corruption levelled against Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's son have some link to the Supreme Court's decision to disqualify Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday called off a planned visit to Russia to attend a summit after the Supreme Court's disqualification of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani plunged Pakistan into a political crisis.
The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday issued a formal notice disqualifying Yousuf Raza Gilani as a member of Parliament, hours after the Supreme Court ordered it to do so.
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
The Pakistan government's top law officer told the supreme court on Monday it had no role to play in the disqualification of the Prime Minister, which could be decided only by the National Assembly speaker or the election commission.
While hearing the petitions filed against the National Assembly Speaker's ruling in the contempt case against Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has said that a "convicted person is representing a population of 180 million people". "A prime minister does not only represent a party, but is also a country's representative," The Express Tribune quoted Justice Chaudhry as saying.
Pakistan is expected to reopen the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation supply line anytime now, as the United States has agreed to tender an apology in 'soft words' over the Salala checkpost incident, reports Tahir Ali
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday said all state institutions, including the judiciary and army, should work within their constitutional limits as tensions continued between the civilian government and the powerful military over the Memogate scandal.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari visited former premier Yusuf Raza Gilani in his hometown of Multan on Friday to allay his concerns about being abandoned by the ruling Pakistan People's Party in the face of several challenges. Zardari visited Gilani a day after the former premier's sons complained in the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament that the federal government was not reining in Federal Investigation Agency officials.
In a huge relief to Pakistan Prime Minster Raja Pervez Ashraf, the country's apex court on Wednesday discharged the court of contempt notice served to him.
Terming November's North Atlantic Treaty Organisation air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers as an infringement of the country's territorial integrity, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday underlined his government's resolve to defend the national frontiers.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Thursday expressed his "strong desire" to build "further momentum" to carry forward relations with India in a constructive manner. Gilani made the remarks when Pakistan's High Commissioner-designate to India, Salman Bashir, called on him before his departure to New Delhi to assume his new assignment.
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It appears that there is some coordination between Chinese interlocutors, the Hekmatyar group, the Kabul regime and different tribal factions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This indicates a long-term vision for the region, says Srikanth Kondapalli
Pakistan's ambassador to United States Hussain Haqqani on Tuesday tendered his resignation after appearing before the country's civil and military leadership and explaining his position on the controversy over a secret memo. Haqqani expressed his readiness to face an enquiry before Pakistan's top military and political leadership at the Presidency.Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has accepted Haqqani's resignation after the Pakistani envoy answered all questions.
Nearly six months after Pakistan shut North Atlantic Treaty Organisation supply lines to Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said she personally believes that the routes should be reopened. Khar made the remarks while speaking to reporters, who accompanied Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on an official visit to Britain, The Express Tribune said on Monday.
Pakistan Peoples Party's firebrand leader Faisal Raza Abidi has accused Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry of misusing his authority to favour his son and asked him to resign, contending that the country was virtually under a "judicial martial law". Asking the chief justice to resign, Abidi, a member of the Senate or upper house of Parliament, demanded a probe against Chaudhry by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, a distant relative of former premier Yusuf Raza Gilani.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani faces the prospect of being disqualified as an member of Parliament for five years after Pakistan's supreme court ruled on Monday that he "wilfully, deliberately and persistently" defied the highest court and brought the judiciary into "ridicule".
A special aircraft carrying Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and several federal ministers made an emergency landing on Tuesday shortly after taking off from a military airbase in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi. The aircraft, which was going to Sukkur in Sindh province, returned to Chaklala airbase shortly after take-off and made an emergency landing as it had developed technical problems, TV news channels quoted officials as saying.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has welcomed the Pakistan government's offer for peace talks with all insurgent groups. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had said recently that his administration was ready to hold negotiations with all militant groups, including the Haqqani network.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday rejected American accusations linking Pakistan's spy agency Inter Services Intelligence with the Haqqani terror network, saying the allegations reflected "policy disarray" within the United States administration on achieving peace in Afghanistan.
Virtually rejecting the Pakistan Supreme Court's directive to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said he would rather go to jail for committing contempt of court than violate the Constitution.
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".
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday summoned Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi as a witness in contempt proceedings against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and adjourned the high-profile case till March 7.
The Dawn of Karachi reported on February 25, that the government of Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani has reportedly decided against extending the tenure of Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, who has been the Director General of the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate since October,2008, says security expert B Raman.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said Islamabad wants to have "excellent relations with the United States" and said both countries along with Kabul need to be "on the same page" in efforts aimed at boosting national reconciliation and stability in war-torn Afghanistan.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned the contempt of court case against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani till February 28 after admitting evidence and recording the statement of the prosecutor.
Pakistan's top leadership reacted angrily on Saturday to a resolution introduced in the United States Congress seeking the right to self-determination for Baloch people, with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani describing the move as an attack on the country's sovereignty. Gilani condemned the resolution moved in the US House of Representatives by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher on Friday.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai made a torrid attack on the Pakistani leadership in a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and demanded that Islamabad produce top Taliban leaders to negotiate with him. Karzai confronted the Pakistanis at an official delegation-level talk on Thursday in Islamabad between the two countries on the sidelines of a trilateral summit meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday insisted that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani should write to Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, saying no one is above the law.
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.
The general election could be held sometime after the passage of the federal budget, Gilani indicated during an interaction with Pakistani journalists on Sunday night following his return from Davos, Switzerland, where he attended the World Economic Forum.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has lauded his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, describing him as a "genuine person" who is keen to resolve all bilateral issues.
With the Pakistani police yet to make any breakthrough in their efforts, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday sought the help of the Inter-Services Intelligence to locate his son Ali Haider, who was kidnapped by heavily-armed men in Multan.
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