The Week After
Here's a puzzle: On August 7th Asif Zardari (PPP) and Nawaz Sharif (PML-N) signed a 7 page agreement drafted by themselves and the others members of their teams one week ago. The agreement has two clauses of interest today, the clauses which have not been implemented by the signers.
First, the clause that that the deposed judges would be reinstated within 24 hours after the impeachment or resignation of Gen (retd) Musharraf.
Second, the clause that that "in case the office of the president still retains the powers acquired under the 17th Amendment, a nationally respected, non-partisan and pro-democracy figure acceptable to the coalition partners will be put forward as the presidential candidate. In case the 17th Amendment is repealed and the powers of the president are restricted to the original powers as envisaged in 1973 Constitution, the PPP will have the right to put forward its own candidate."
The rationale for the non-implementation of the first of these two by Federal Information Minister Sherry Rehman, of Mr. Zardari's party, is that "our other internal and external allies wanted us to take our own route after the resignation of President Musharraf."
The PPP hasn't moved the 17th Amendment question in the legislature, where it leads the four-party ruling coalition.
Mr. Zardari has filed papers as the PPP's candidate for the Sept 6 presidential election.
Mr. Shaif announced the PML-N willl file papers for former chief justice Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui is its candidate for the Sept 6 presidential election.
So if Mr. Zardari's spokesperson's statements are to be taken at face value, which of Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (internal ally) or the United States, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia (external allies), is opposed in principle to the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and the political independence of the Pakistani judiciary?
Restated, which prefers a Pakistan returned to horrific political enmities of the late 1980s and early 1990s, a divided and weakened civil government? And why does Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud want to keep the former dictator from being charged with crimes? Since the 1999 coup d'état not a few people have come to violent ends at the hands of the state, e.g., veteran Baloch nationalist leader and former Chief Minister of Balochistan, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, who was killed, along with his grandson, Nawabzada Baramdagh Bugti, an as-yet unnamed second grandson, Mir Azaad Khan Baloch, General Secretary, Government of Balochistan in Exile, and 34 other persons, on August 26th, 2006, in a military operation in Chalgri area of Bhamboor hills of Dera Bugti district. And there's more.
