An unusual political situation is brewing in Pakistan with the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday to charge Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani with contempt of court, making it the first time in the country’s history that a PM has been indicted.
Not mincing words, Mr Gilani called the court’s move “politically motivated”. He appears to have a point, for later this month if a guilty verdict is rendered the head of the government will face a jail term of up to six months, and of course lose office. This is virtually a coup d’etat by other means.
Mr Gilani’s Pakistan People’s Party has said that if the Prime Minister is judicially clobbered and forced out, his successor would have to be found from within the PPP’s ranks. This is only fair as the largest party in Parliament has the first shot at electing the PM.
But then these things can be tricky when it comes to Pakistan where, typically, situations are tailored to suit the convenience of the Army. Many may be forgiven for thinking that this is precisely what the judiciary might be up to.
President Asif Ali Zardari is the ostensible target, but the real object may well be to get rid of the PPP-led government, which is not to the Army’s liking. The Prime Minister’s refusal to act against the President despite the court’s direction to him to ask the Swiss authorities to reopen cases against Mr Zardari appears to be no more than an excuse to make such anti-democracy moves look credible. Mr Zardari is a soft target as he once faced corruption charges for stashing away money in a Swiss bank.
Ridding society of corruption is a laudable objective, and that is the goodwill factor the judges may be counting on. But the point is that the late Benazir Bhutto and her husband, the current President, returned from exile after a National Reconciliation Ordinance was introduced by then President Pervez Musharraf.
This had become a dire necessity as there were no politicians left in the country to fight elections, with leaders of major parties banished from the land under the military’s orders. Without the NRO, even a semblance of democracy could not be thought of. The judges are losing sight of this and flagrantly playing into the Army’s hands.
The pity is that key politicians such as Nawaz Sharif or Imran Khan are, through silence or acquiescence, indirectly supporting the anti-government manipulations, which in this instance amount to moves aimed against the spirit of democracy in Pakistan.
If the PPP-led coalition is sent packing before the next election, the chances are that politicians who step into the breach will be at the mercy of the Army.