Pakistan’s Supreme Court indicted Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on contempt of court charges last Monday, having rejected his appeal on February 10. The ruling has intensified the country’s political crisis by further weakening the unpopular government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The court charged Gilani that he had “wilfully flouted, disregarded and disobeyed” its order to re-open corruption cases against the country’s President Asif Ali Zardari. Gilani pled not guilty on Monday and his trial begins on February 27. If convicted, he could be dismissed from office and imprisoned for six months.......
Gilani and his lawyers argued that Zardari as president had “constitutional immunity” in Pakistan. While the anti-democratic NRO and constitution are certainly designed to protect the ruling elites, the court’s decision to target Zardari is entangled with the country’s political turmoil.
Pakistani analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi told Reuters: “This will not be good news for democracy… Once again, non-elected institutions are trying to re-formulate the elected institutions. Previously, the military was doing it, now it is the judiciary.”
The government protected Zardari and ignored the Supreme Court order as any re-opening of the corruption cases would further undermine its position. The opposition Pakistani Muslim League (PML-N), headed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf backed the court decision and are aggressively seeking to exploit the issue.
The ruling PPP cannot afford to have a long-running corruption scandal featured in the media. Senate elections are due to begin next month and general elections next year. The government is desperately hoping to boost its stocks in these elections. Gilani has branded the charges against Zardari as “politically motivated.”
The court’s decision to indict Gilani also strengthens the hands of the army. Relations between the government and the military deteriorated sharply after the unearthing of a secret memo in October. Allegedly dictated by Zardari, it sought US help in dissuading the military from mounting a coup following the killing of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.
The Supreme Court backed the call made by army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and military intelligence chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Pasha for an investigation into the memo. Gilani denounced the move as “unconstitutional and illegal.” The army responded by warning of “potentially grievous consequences” for the government........
Behind the current political turmoil is the country’s mounting economic and social crisis, which will only worsen as the International Monetary Fund demands greater taxes and the further winding back of social spending. This is compounded by widespread opposition to the government’s backing for the US-led occupation of Afghanistan and tacit support for US attacks on tribal border areas inside Pakistan.