Pakistani Politics

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani is contemplating a series of actions to address the growing political turmoil in the country, according to two separate senior official sources familiar with the developments.

The prime minister, these sources said, was preparing for these actions following another one-on-one meeting with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at the PM House on Wednesday where the military and the political leadership of the country shared grave concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in wake of the call for the long march and sit-in by the lawyers, civil society and opposition politicians.

The growing divide between the two political parties that has caused a crisis of trust between the principal actors of governance in Pakistan has already caused serious concern in Washington where President Obama’s administration is increasingly worried that Pakistan, because of this political turmoil, is fast losing focus from the war against terrorism.

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A massive crackdown on the opposition parties and lawyers was launched on Tuesday midnight across the country to foil the long march and sit-in.

Hundreds of activists of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and lawyers were rounded up, while a large number of political and lawyer leaders went into hiding.

PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq was placed under house arrest at his sector G-7 residence in Islamabad. Raja Zafar, also a newly-elected senator, said he had received no detention orders but the police locked the gate to his residence from outside at 3am. He said he had heard that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had taken note of the incident and would intervene in the matter.

Islamabad Chief Commissioner Kamran Lashari, when contacted by The News at 5:30pm, said: “The PML-N chairman was confined to his residence but now three policemen deployed outside his residence have been withdrawn.” He said Raja Zafar was not among those who would be put under house arrest.

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Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said he would discuss lifting of governor’s rule in the Punjab with President Asif Ali Zardari today (Thursday) on his return from Iran.

“I will take up the issue with the president today on his return from Iran and will also urge the president to let the provincial assembly choose a new leader of the House,” he said while speaking at a dinner hosted by him in honour of senators at the Prime Minister’s House here.

The prime minister said he also called the Punjab governor to Islamabad on Thursday and together with the president they would discuss a way out of the present political crisis. The prime minister said he wants lifting of governor’s rule in the Punjab at the earliest and would request the president to let the provincial assembly ascertain who commands the majority.

He said there are three parties in the Punjab - the PPP, the PML-N and the PML-Q - and whosoever demonstrates a majority should be allowed to form the government and all parties should respect each other’s mandate.

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PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the long march would change the nation’s destiny, urging the people to prepare for sacrifices to bring about a political revolution in the country.

Addressing a mammoth public gathering here at the Government College ground, Nawaz asked the people to join the lawyers’ long march to achieve the aim for which the country was liberated, urging them to defy the government’s restrictions and reach the sit-in venue in Islamabad.

He said it was a defining moment in the country’s history as Pakistan had been brought at crossroads and God had given the people an opportunity to save it.The PML-N Quaid said they were not going to stage the sit-in to get slots in the government, but they only wanted to change this redundant and outdated system. ìIt is an outdated system, which has become a security threat to the country,” he added.

Nawaz also referred to the sedition charges levelled by the government against him and said those guilty of sedition were charging his remarks as seditious. About the imposition of Section 144 in the Punjab and Sindh by the government to stop the protesting lawyers and political workers, he said lawyers in Rawalpindi had already defied it as they were standing here among them. He asked the authorities if they could stop this flood of the people with the imposition of Section 144.

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Pakistan Muslim League (N) Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has left from here for Abbottabad where he is expected to address a huge public rally.

Talking to party leaders before leaving from here, Nawaz strongly condemned crackdown launched by government against the leaders of opposition and said, “These house-arrests will not be able to foil lawyers’ long march and sit-in which is being struggled in wake of restoration of judiciary and supremacy of law in Pakistan.”

He vowed that the leaders together with activists of PML-N would overpower all kind of barriers and would successfully make their way into Islamabad for long march and sit-in.

Nawaz Sharif is expected to announce his party’s future course of action during his address in Abbottabad while He was accompanied by Senator Pervez Rasheed on his way to Abbottabad.

The crackdown against political workers continued in Punjab and several political workers were arrested during overnight raids.

According to sources, PML-N leader Raja Zafarul Haq was put under house arrest whereas more than 50 activists of PML-N were also arrested.

Sources said lists of workers names have been provided to police stations after which police carrying out raids to arrest theses workers. Banners placed by PML-N for long march have been also removed.

PML-N leader Mian Shahbaz Sharif had summoned a meeting that was postponed due to arrest of PML-N workers.

Amir Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman Tuesday said he is waiting for Pakistan Muslim League-N response over the efforts made for reconciliation and the deadlock seems to be from their side.

Talking to media along with Interior Advisor Rehman Malik, Fazl said Mian Nawaz Sharif put forward two demands: PML-N position be restored to February 24 and lawyers be invited by President Zardari for negotiations.

“President Zardari has conceded to both the demands,” Fazl-ur-Rehman informed. However, he said, what is the guarantee that the lawyers will not stage sit-in after they are invited on negotiation table.

He said Mian Nawaz Sharif demanded that all the matters must be resolved before March 11. But, Fazl said, issues cannot be resolved in a matter of a single day.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik, while putting up a brave face in the face of the upcoming long march by the lawyers to Islamabad, said the government would facilitate the long marchers like it did the last time. However, he warned that the long marchers would definitely not be allowed to get close to the Constitution Avenue, the area that the organisers of the long march have set as their goal to reach.

Talking to the media at a press conference, the adviser also warned the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif to refrain from raising rebellious slogans or incite public feelings, for which the government has enough evidence that a case under clause 124-A of the Constitution could be initiated against him on the charges of sedition, that could land him in jail for life.

About the upcoming long march, Rehman Malik said the government has no objection to a peaceful demonstration within the parameters of law. “They are most welcome to do whatever they may like to but we would not allow them to disrupt normal life of the people of Islamabad. Constitution Avenue is the security zone where hundreds of diplomats are living, the entire governmental system is running from there. Besides, we have received written request from the traders, from the civil society, from the residents of Islamabad to keep away all the processions from the main area of Islamabad and that is what the government intends to do,” he said.

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MQM supremo Altaf Hussain is a very disturbed man and minces no words in speaking out openly against the political ‘Tamasha’ going on in the Punjab and Islamabad, saying in so many words that he was not much interested in saving the political system because the very existence of the state was at stake and time was running out fast.

“I have been pleading with President Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif to start a dialogue and bring the temperature down but it appears that personalities of people change when they occupy seats of supreme power and no one then listens to any sane advice. I can only speak to them as I do not have a gun to force them,” he told me in a long talk during which he spoke mostly on the record but also gave some scathing comments about everyone off the record.

But during the long discussion, I got a very strong sense that while Altaf Bhai was repeatedly warning against the dangers to the country, he said several times that “we will not be affected” probably meaning that Karachi will still be a MQM-controlled city. “Hamain to faraq nahin parta”, was his refrain more than once, yet he was sincerely of the view that Pakistan was facing serious threats and the current political infighting was totally unnecessary and irrelevant to the challenges that lurked not so far away in time.

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