Pakistan
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, center, is surrounded by security personnel as he arrives at Supreme Court for a hearing in Islamabad, Pakistan on February 13, 2012 - File Photo by AP

ISLAMABAD: The gloves are off and the PPP is spoiling for a fight.

A defiant party and prime minister on Thursday made it clear that they would continue with their challenging stand as far as the standoff with the judiciary was concerned. Shortly after the symbolic ‘punishment’ by the court, the prime minister expressed his disapproval of the judgment by calling it ‘inappropriate’.

Later in the day, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, while briefing the media about the special cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister, said the PPP and its allied parties had decided to challenge the Supreme Court ruling.

“The PPP and its allied parties have not only decided to challenge the ruling of the court, but they also stand behind Yousuf Raza Gilani, the unanimously elected prime minister of the country,” he said.

When someone questioned the eligibility of Mr Gilani, the information minister snapped back, “It was simply a political case; not an issue of morality that the prime minister should resign. He has not committed any crime.”

Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, the defence counsel for the prime minister who was also present on the occasion, too defended the cabinet’s decision of not asking the prime minister to resign after his conviction. “By no means does the short order of the apex court mean that Mr Gilani has lost the ground to continue as prime minister.”

Two separate meetings were also held at the presidency in which the allies promised to stand by the prime minister and give an appropriate response to the Supreme Court verdict.

In the first meeting of the ruling party, the PPP decided to give a robust response to “new challenges with political maturity and firmness” that include filing an appeal against the apex court verdict. This was followed by a meeting of the coalition partners, which also decided to support the decisions made by the PPP.

“After discussing the short order, the meetings expressed dismay that an elected prime minister of the country had been sentenced for upholding the constitution and supremacy of the parliament,” president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.

Apparently the cabinet meeting held on Thursday afternoon also struck a similar note of support and victory.

Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour of the ANP, another ally of the PPP both at the centre and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, spoke critically of the court judgment and predicted that it would adversely affect the judiciary’s public image.

Prime Minister Gilani also found a sympathiser from Fata. Engineer Shaukat Ullah, a member of the National Assembly and Minister for States and Frontier Regions, offered his support to the PPP and Mr Gilani and said he and his fellow lawmakers would continue their unconditional support for the government at this time of need.

The only note of caution was provided by Dr Farooq Sattar of the MQM.

According to a participant of the meeting, he advised the government to understand possible legal implications of the judgment. He also cautioned the government against whipping up an anti-judiciary sentiment in the country.

His was, however, the only dissenting note of sorts during the meeting. The others simply cheered on the prime minister.

The smug tone of the government, according to an observer, is not simply a result of euphoria.

After all, the party is aware that its legal woes are far from over. The NRO implementation case, in which the bench had issued another order to the prime minister to write a letter to the Swiss authorities, is going to be heard on May 3.

As this second order was passed after the contempt proceedings had been issued, there are chances that this particular legal skirmish between the judges and the government is about to be replayed.

This is why the PPP, say observers, is playing up at the moment. Whether it was the defiance and/or judiciary’s wariness of confronting head-on the executive and parliament, the party leadership does not know for sure.

However, it wants to keep using the tactics that proved successful and keep the judges at bay.

This is also why Aitzaz Ahsan announced the decision to challenge the judgment that the party has described as unfair. As he had done during the trial, the lawyer at the press conference also referred to Article 10-A, which he has argued ensures a fair trial.

He said it was his client’s (Mr Gilani) right to have a fair trial, which he believed he didn’t get and thus, he would again take up the matter with the court.

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