The Supreme Court of Pakistan.—File Photo

ISLAMABAD: With the Supreme Court likely to conclude its hearing of petitions challenging the National Assembly Speaker’s ruling in favour of the prime minister on Tuesday, the ruling People’s Party is busy exploring options to deal with any eventuality.

A source in the party told Dawn that over the last couple of weeks, the leadership has been deliberating on its response to the Supreme Court’s ruling.

The PPP official said that in case the apex court straightway directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to de-notify Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as member of the National Assembly following his conviction in the contempt case, “we will definitely be in a bind”.

In that case, the party will have no other option but to go for Mr Gilani’s replacement, said the source. “This will be the worst possible outcome that the party is bracing itself for at the moment.”

On the other hand, the source went on, if the court asked the ECP to review Mr Gilani’s membership in the light of his conviction, the prime minister would keep his membership of the National Assembly and contest his case before the election commission.

Under the Constitution, the Election Commission will have 90 days to decide the premier’s fate. If it rules against the prime minister, he can again challenge this decision in the Supreme Court, buying time for his party.

A federal minister told Dawn that during a recent meeting, the ruling coalition also debated the option of calling early elections in case the SC overturned the Speaker’s ruling. A lot depends upon wording of the court order, added the minister.

However, the minister said: “After the passage of a couple of parliamentary resolutions in favour of Prime Minister Gilani and the Speaker’s ruling, the party leadership is confident that it can tackle any development.”

Last but not least, all coalition partners have assured the People’s Party of their support in its hour of trial, he claimed.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, had taken up multiple petitions challenging the ruling of Speaker Fehmida Mirza last month in which she had refused to forward a reference to the Election Commission for the prime minister’s disqualification.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. — File Photo

MARDAN: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Saturday said conspiracies are being hatched against the democracy in the country and warned that the present government will foil all such conspiracies and protect the democratic system.

“There are conspiracies against the democracy and to damage the democratic system but the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will protect the democracy at all cost and will not allow anti-democratic forces to derail the process,” said the prime minister while addressing a public meeting here.

A large number of people attended the public meeting despite bad weather.

The prime minister said the PPP government has been facing conspiracies, since 2008 when it took over the rule but faced these challenges and conspiracies with the support of the masses.

He said despite all the efforts of the anti-democratic elements, the PPP faced these conspiracies and succeed to present its fifth consecutive budget this year.

The prime minister said basically the aim of these conspiracies were to stop Senate elections and to stop presentation of the fifth budget and stop the government to complete its tenure but all these conspiracies were totally fizzled out.

Referring to the role of opposition he said they were sitting in Jeddah and Saudi Arabia, when the PPP was working for the rights of the people.

The prime minister said institutions have been strengthened with the revival of 1973 constitution.

He thanked the people to attend the public meeting despite bad weather.

He said due to bad weather, helicopter could not reach at the venue but he decided to drive his car to reach to the venue of the public meeting.

Gilani said it has proved that PPP is the biggest and popular party for which Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto sacrificed their lives.

The prime minister assured the people that it is the responsibility and duty of the government to reach out the masses to provide them basic rights and to resolve their issues.

Appreciating the hospitality given to the internally displaced people by the people of Mardan, he said, the people of the area established a good noble example.

The prime minister said with the efforts of the government, the IDPs were sent to their homes within 90 days.

– File Photo.

ISLAMABAD: The political and military leadership met at the presidency on Friday night and discussed the issues of regional security and relations with the United States.

The meeting jointly presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was attended by Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.

President Zardari has also called a meeting of coalition partners on Saturday to exchange views with them on proposals to normalise Pakistan-US relations and the issue of reopening of Nato supply lines.

The parties in the ruling coalition had discussed the matter at a meeting held at the presidency on Wednesday.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), officers of Pakistan Army and Nato met in an area on the Pakistan-Afghan border on Friday.

Gen Kayani briefed the meting at the presidency on matters discussed at the meeting with Nato officials.

Sources said Nato had given assurance to the government that roads from Karachi to Torkham damaged by the movement of Nato trucks would be repaired and rebuilt.

Pakistan closed the supply routes after Nato’s air strikes on the Salala checkpost which killed 24 troops in November last year.

It has linked the restoration of supply routes to an apology over the incident, which has not yet been forthcoming.

Media reports have quoted US military personnel as saying that the United States has been bearing billions of dollars of additional cost on Nato supplies by air and through alternative routes since the suspension of supplies via Pakistan.

RIAZ-ARSALAN SCAM: During a separate meeting with the president, Prime Minister Gilani and some other leaders of the PPP discussed the controversy sparked by allegations of a business deal between real estate tycoon Malik Riaz and Dr Arsalan Iftikhar, son of the chief justice.

“The current situation in the country was discussed at the meeting,” President’s Spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.

He said the prime minister briefed the president on Pakistan’s participation in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development which would be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pakistan will be represented at the conference by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Minister for Climate Change Rana Muhammad Farooq.

Mr Gilani also briefed the president on the energy situation.

The president felicitated the prime minister, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and coalition partners on the approval of the government’s fifth budget by the National Assembly on Thursday.

The meeting also discussed the law and order situation in various parts of the country.

A view of the National Assembly. — Photo by APP

An opposition is considered to be the alternative government, but in Pakistan the opposition seems least interested in affairs crucial to the country. For the last six months or so, the nonchalance on part of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on crucial developments – political and economic – makes it look like a wayward, rudderless ship.

Most recently, its inability to take the government to task over the budget was painfully apparent. In any budget session, the government is expected to announce its development plans and how it intends to manage the national economy, which includes collection of taxes and meeting its liabilities. This is also the part of the National Assembly proceedings that broadly sets the parameters of the working relationship between the treasury and opposition for the rest of the year.

In most countries with the parliamentary system of governance, the opposition uses the budget session to grill the treasury on its spending. After all, how well the economy is doing and what the budgetary documents reveal, determines whether a government is doing well or not.

However, over here, the budget came and went, and political analysts were left wondering: would the PMLN stand up? The opposition at best has so far managed to pull a few punches and holler. In fact, since the presentation of the budget on June 1, the PML-N has only protested against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. According to the PML-N, after the conviction, Mr.Gilani has no right to hold powers of the prime minister of the country, and hence should resign forthwith.

It’s obvious that the party is wasting its breath and time, and letting a crucial opportunity of letting the masses know how badly Dr. Abdul Hafiz Sheikh, federal finance minister and his team has spent the country’s kitty. After all it’s an election year and the opposition party’s lawmakers must tell its voters how the PPP-led government is failing them.

It had missed a similar opportunity earlier, when in November last year, the party opted to leave the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), because Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan did not like the appointment of a dual national as auditor-general of Pakistan.

If the PML-N was till in charge, it would have taken the government to task as for the first time in the history of the country, the PAC was to take up accounts of the sitting government.

Even on other political developments, the PML-N has been sitting on the fence. The party’s response to the ‘family-gate’ involving Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and his family has been equivocal. Except for a couple of PML-N lawmakers, the rest of the party leadership has maintained a mysterious silence on the issue.

Both the leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Khawaja Saad Rafique have expressed their concerns over the party’s ties with the real estate tycoon, Malik Riaz but the Sharif brothers have issued perfunctory statements in favour of the judiciary. Interesting to note is that fact that they have yet to hit out against the property magnate.

On the other hand, Mr. Riaz has gone to the media and claimed that he has family ties with Shahbaz Sharif, an association which he hasn’t denounced as yet. In fact, during an interview with a private TV channel, Mr Riaz claimed to have treated two sons of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif — Hamza Shahbaz Sharif and Salman — as his own children.

On other fronts too, the opposition party has been inconsistent on maintaining its stringent positions. Initially, it had resisted from taking in politicians who had defected and joined former General Pervez Musharraf, but of late the party leadership has itself broached them to strengthen its flanks against the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) and the governing PPP.

It has already joined hands with the like-minded group, a breakaway faction of the PML-Q.

The PMLN’s half-hearted but repeated calls for early elections and long march against the government have seen no success. A few months back, the party launched the go-Zardari-go campaign, but it lost the steam without even taking off. It remains to be seen how the PML-N’s on-going go-Gilani-go campaign shapes up in coming days.

For now it’s obvious that the PML-N if it wishes to see a return to the parliament even as opposition and in equal numbers would have to be interested in issues that affect the common man.

Real estate tycoon Malik Riaz (C) waves to members of the media as he leaves after appearing before the Supreme Court in Islamabad June 12, 2012. – Photo by Reuters.

ISLAMABAD: One dust storm hit Islamabad on Tuesday afternoon, but Malik Riaz hit the capital twice on the same day.

His first attack was launched in the Supreme Court in the morning, where he turned up surrounded by more bodyguards than any of the other high-profile respondents, who have been dragged to the court in recent times, have been able to boast of.

In a statement read out to the court by his lawyer Zahid Bokhari, Riaz spelt out for the first time all the allegations and more that had been hurled at the chief justice’s son on the property tycoon’s behalf by many others since June 5.

The 83-page statement contained allegations, images of cheques, aeroplane tickets, amounts of money spent and photographs of hotels Arsalan Chaudhry is said to have stayed in at the expense of Riaz.

However, for once the more dramatic moment of the day came outside of the courtroom.

After the court proceedings were over, Riaz and his team appeared in front of the media at a large five-star hotel where he launched his second, more lethal but less substantiated attack on the judiciary.

In his thick Punjabi accent and an even more aggressive tone, he accused the chief justice directly – but vaguely. Clutching a small size Quran in his hand as he held forth, he reminded people of the press conference held last year by Zulfikar Mirza, who was once known as a friend of President Asif Ali Zardari.

Riaz began by asking the chief justice three questions: a) “He [chief justice] should explain how many times he met me in the dead of the night and whether or not Arsalan Iftikhar was present there?”

b) “Was the chief justice not present at several meetings that took place at the residence of my business partner Ahmed Khalil where the prime minister [Yousuf Raza Gilani] and a sitting judge of the Supreme Court were also present?”

c): “I ask the chief justice to hold a Quran and clarify how long he has known about the role of Dr Arsalan and why he failed to take notice until now?”

Visibly angry, he used strong language and claimed his back had been pushed against the wall. He called Arsalan the ‘don’ of the judiciary and accused the judiciary of screwing him.

Later he said again, “In Punjab we are nailed by Chaudhry Nisar and in the federal capital the Supreme Court is screwing me.”

By the end, the property tycoon had the audience thoroughly confused when he emphasised that he “had respect for chief justice”.

When people pressed him to vow that he had not given money to any journalists, the press conference ended abruptly. Riaz walked out after promising that he would hold another press conference in three days time.

However, his three questions kicked off another bout of non-stop talking on television channels that had barely recovered from the afternoon when they reported on Riaz’s statement and the allegations within.

Before long, the SC, which traditionally stays away from the media, was forced to jump in.

SC registrar

The elusive registrar of the Supreme Court, Dr Faqir Hussain, spoke to a news channel and said that Riaz had met the CJ a couple of times when the latter was deposed.

The registrar added that the tycoon had wanted to arrange a meeting between Zardari and the CJ, an offer which was turned down.

Similarly, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan also spoke to a channel and explained that he had briefed the CJ about the allegations against his son though it was not clear if the former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association mentioned when this meeting was held.

The charge-sheet

In his statement Riaz accused Dr Arsalan Iftikhar of cheating him and his son-in-law and alleged that Arsalan had committed fraud and extortion under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO).

He further alleged that Ahmed Khalil, a business partner in the Bahria Town (Pvt) Ltd, had introduced Arsalan to Salman Ahmed, a British national who was involved in the property business in UK.

Riaz claimed that Arsalan had told Ahmed Khalil that he knew about the Bahria Town cases pending before his father (CJ) and that he could get these resolved in favour of Riaz.

Though the property tycoon admitted that he never got any relief from the court whatsoever, the statement revealed that he paid a whopping Rs342 million to the chief justice’s son over years. At the same time, Riaz said that he had respect and regard for the Supreme Court and its judges, including the CJ, and did not intend to ridicule or disrespect them.

Interestingly, the statement made it clear that President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and any other political leader or a political party or agency were not involved in this incident and had not prompted or helped Riaz.

He also acknowledged that he had met television anchors but denied that he had given any interview to any journalist that appeared in two newspapers on June 7.

Suo motu questioned

Apart from his allegations, Riaz also questioned the present suo motu proceedings. He argued that they were not legal as the issue did not entail any question of enforcement of any fundamental rights.

He also complained about the ‘preferential’ treatment meted out to Dr Arsalan by the court; only the details of Riaz’s assets, accounts, income tax and wealth tax have been requisitioned from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and not those of Arsalan.

Reference to NAB

Attorney General Irfan Qadir also added his two bit to the proceedings by suggesting that the matter be referred to NAB.

Later the proceedings were adjourned till July 14 when the two-member bench of Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain will decide whether or not to appoint a commission or refer the scam to NAB or any other investigating agency.

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani talks to representatives of print and electronic media in Lahore on Sunday, June 10, 2012. — Photo by PPI

LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said neither the Pakistan People’s Party nor the army has anything to gain from the Arsalan case and urged Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to hear the case of his son, Ali Musa Gilani.

“Neither we nor the army is the beneficiary of this case. And how can we be. The masses have elected us not the judiciary and the army is an institution and it has no role in it,” he said while answering a question during a meeting with newsmen at the State Guest House here on Sunday.

He said his son Abdul Qadir Gilani faced allegations in the Haj scam which could not be proved and the chief justice ordered legal action against those who had levelled false allegations against him (Qadir).

“As the chief justice cannot hear the case of his own son (Arsalan), he should consider my son (Ali Musa) his own son and hear his case because he is only facing an allegation of having made a phone call in the ephedrine case,” Mr Gilani asked.

On a question that Malik Riaz, the real estate tycoon, was a friend of adviser to the prime minister on interior affairs Rehman Malik, the prime minister said: “Riaz Malik is a friend of all politicians, including Nawaz Sharif.”

He declined to comment when asked whether the chief justice should resign over corruption allegations levelled against his son (Arsalan). “The matter is sub judice and I will not comment on it,” he said.

The prime minister was critical of PML-N President Nawaz Sharif for becoming a party in every high-profile case. “Which gate (memogate and others) Mr Sharif did not become a party to. Let’s see if he is thinking of becoming a party in the Arsalan case too,” he said, adding that Nawaz Sharif was particularly targeting him these days because he wanted to prove that his party was a ‘real opposition’. Because of his fear of Imran Khan, he said, Mr Sharif was behaving like this.

When asked if the current situation could lead to martial law. “The era of martial law is over. There is no room for martial law,” he said.

About the standoff in Pak-US relations over reopening of Nato supply routes, Mr Gilani said: “Pakistan will decide restoration of Nato supply routes in the best national interest. We will take all stakeholders on board, besides considering the recommendations of the parliamentary committee in this regard.”

He said democratic forces did not believe in non-party elections and days of the politics of 1980s were gone. “The local bodies elections in Punjab should be held on party basis and as per directions of the apex court. Election on non-party basis is a tool of dictators to form a king’s party.”

The prime minister said other three provinces had decided to hold local government elections on party basis and Punjab should follow suit. “I ask the Punjab government to follow the order of the Supreme Court in this regard and hold local polls.”

Mr Gilani said he ‘felt sorry’ for Shahbaz Sharif for setting up a tent office at Minar-i-Pakistan. He said the Punjab government rejected Shujaat’s formula to overcome loadshedding and also refused to contribute funds although major resources had been transferred to the provinces. He said despite the current bickering between the PPP and PML-N there was still room for reconciliation.

He said the PML-N’s double standards had been exposed in the new budget of the Punjab government because it had submitted a resolution for creation of south Punjab and Bahawalpur provinces but it did not earmark any funds for them.

Answering a question, the prime minister said if there was a law existed on dual nationality why it was not applied when ‘imported’ prime ministers ruled the country. He said expatriates contributed $12 billion a year to the country’s economy.

“If they (expatriates) have right to vote why they cannot become members of parliament.”

Mr Gilani said Pakistan today had good relations with India, Iran, China, Afghanistan and Russia which his predecessors never had.

“Our trade agreement with India will benefit our economy and we are also signing gas agreements with India, Qatar and Iran,” he said.

The President has directed the provincial government to submit a report into the incident immediately.     – File Photo by Reuters

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has taken notice of the alleged rape of five girls at Fort Munro in Dera Ghazi Khan.

The President has directed the provincial government to submit a report into the incident immediately.

Earlier on Saturday,the Muttahoda Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) members of parliaments held a joint address in condemnation to the alleged molestaion incident.

The MQM parliamentarians asked  President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Adviser to PM, Rehman Malik to take stern action against culprits involved in the sadistic act.

Advisor to Prime Minister Rehman Malik also took strong notice of the incident in Dera Ghazi Khan, directing IG Punjab to present report of the incident.

Advisor has directed Deputy Director Federal Investigation Agency Multan Region to personally visit the spot and present report, according to a statement issued.

He also appealed to the Punjab government to carry out impartial investigation and cooperate with FIA team so that culprits be punished according to law.

Malik added that he would also present the report in the Parliament.

Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has also taken notice of the alleged molestation of girls in Fort Monro and  directed c to submit a report into the incident immediately, according to an official handout issued.

The Pildat presentation said that a balance must be made between the Parliament’s role in scrutinising the budget and the government’s job in preparing it. — File photo

The first budget session for this fiscal will undoubtedly go down in the history of parliamentary affairs of the country as one of the most hotly contested ones. However, its standout moments were not clashes of wits and ideas, rather the exchange of fists and blows between the opposition and treasury benches.

The brawl had started when Capt (retired) Safdar along with other PML-N lawmakers wanted to breach the security cordon, which the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) legislators had formed around Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

It was the young Zafar Iqbal Warraich from Rahim Yar Khan, who literally took the fight to opposition benches, and quite a sight it turned out to see him and PPP’s Akhunzada Chattan pitched against Capt (retired) Safdar and Malik Abrar.

The scenes from the scuffle in fact rang a bell with fans of late Sultan Rahi films: clad in a shalwar kameez and sporting a moustache, Mr. Warraich swiftly landed a few punches on the face of Capt (retired) Safdar, who happens to be the son-in-law of Nawaz Sharif. Back in their territory, and supported by Mr Abrar and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mr. Safdar in turn thrashed Mr. Warraich and tore his waistcoat.

Though saner elements from both the sides managed to break up the fighting lawmakers, the alleys of the Parliament House are still abuzz with gossip about the aftermath.

According to one account, as soon as the budget session ended, Mr. Warraich called his hometown for re-enforcements – apparently he did not want to walk in front of his opponents outside the limits of the Parliament without supporters.

Eye witnesses claim that since then, a number of his supporters have travelled from Rahim Yar Khan to Islamabad, and can be seen crowding at his residence at the Parliament Lodges. Many of them were even issued passes to accompany him in the Parliament House.

A source within the PPP added that Mr. Warraich had been counseled by the senior party leadership to avoid any direct confrontation with the opposition lawmakers.

“I hope no untoward episode occurs, because it will only add to our (politicians) bad image that is the talk of the town since the June 1 incident,” a senior PPP leader said, who preferred not to be quoted.

A similar line of pacification is being towed by the opposition as its members have been advised to avoid a run-in with Mr. Warraich’s men.

The PML-N since the conviction of the prime minister on April 26 with contempt charges has refused to accept him as lawful public office-holder, and hence, whenever he comes to the house they invariably start raising slogans against him.

Talking to Dawn, a source said that given the increasing rivalry between the PPP and PML-N, legislators from both the parties including Khurshid Shah of the PPP and Ishaq Dar of the PML-N were working overtime to diffuse this tension.

As per the argument of a senior government official who advises the government on parliamentary affairs, this is not the first time when a tiff within the Parliament between lawmakers has led to their personal enmity outside its premises.

During the earlier part of this sitting assembly, Khawaja Asif of the PML-N had to face the wrath of a PPP female lawmaker whom he addressed as a “stranger in the house”. “Reportedly, her husband along with his armed guards stormed Mr. Khawaja’s lodge and made him apologise for his remarks,” recalled the official. “It was simply a crude way of settling one’s personal scores and had nothing to do with the Parliament or for that matter democracy.”

Deploring the fact that Pakistani politicians are still following their clannish tendencies, the official argued since most part of the country’s history there had been dictatorships, who deliberately encouraged such rivalries for their vested interests, would take time to go away. Segmentation of the society on ethnicity, sectarian and regional lines has been the hallmark of successive military dictators.

However, he added: “I am of the firm belief that given the chance, Pakistani lawmakers can prove themselves better democrats than those in any other developing or developed countries of the world.”

Moreover, he said, fist-fights among opposition and treasury lawmakers was commonplace even in many developed countries, but they didn’t take their brawls to their personal lives outside the parliament. One can hope things will also improve in Pakistan, too.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani accords approval on the Budget 2012-13 documents before presenting to the Parliament. The finance team led by Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh is also present on Friday. – Photo by Online

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday described as historic, presentation of the 5th successive budget by the democratic government saying the milestone clearly manifested the continuity of the political process in the country.

The prime minister made the remarks while chairing the Special Cabinet meeting on budget proposals (2012-13) at the Parliament House.

The prime minister said that the incumbent coalition democratic government deserved credit for upholding the cause of democracy, rule of law and the constitution.

It was only their commitment to the democratic dispensation that the country was poised for smooth transition- first time in the history of Pakistan, the prime minister said.

He was highly appreciative of the coalition partners who steered the country out of the many challenges and restored the constitution of the country, and gave financial and political autonomy as per the constitution under the     unanimously passed 18th amendment and the 7th NFC Award.

Earlier, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh briefed the cabinet about the budget proposals in unison with the priorities of the democratic government.

The finance minister said that the budget has been prepared keeping in view the imperatives of people’s welfare, economic growth and incentives to the potential investors providing them enabling environment to become partner in the growth of the economy.

He said that the revenue generation endeavors have paid dividends as the collection registered 25 per cent increase as compared to the last year.

The cabinet members congratulated the prime minister for his leadership which has ensured the continuity of the political process so important for the socio-economic development of the people of Pakistan.

A view of the National Assembly. — File photo

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s April 26 conviction and sentencing for contempt of the Supreme Court is proving more than just one momentous judgment by the now independent judiciary. It indeed set in motion a train of events not witnessed before in the long chequered constitutional history of Pakistan.

That Mr Gilani became the first sitting prime minister to be found guilty of disobeying the supreme court of the country and sentenced to the briefest of terms in our judicial history was noted immediately. What has followed since is no less telling and unprecedented, however.

For one Mr. Gilani continues to hold office, not frayed in the least by his detractors’ vociferous calls to “the convicted prime minister” to resign. Buoyed by the explicit support from his own PPP and allied parties, he gained new confidence when Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza ruled that his conviction did not attract his disqualification as a member of the assembly, as the Supreme Court had alluded to in its order sentencing him.

Her ruling also saved Mr Gilani from appealing the Supreme Court against that order.

But his troubles are not over. The constitutional petitions filed by PML-N and PTI – no friends to each other but competing in enmity to PPP – with the Supreme Court challenging the Speaker’s decision can pitch the legislature against the judiciary, potentially another first in the battles waged by political rivals in courts.

Never before in Pakistan’s judicial and constitutional history arose a situation pitching the two pillars of State in a stand-off. The storming of the Supreme Court in 1997, during PML-N’s second government, the clash was primarily between the executive and judiciary.

Today, the scenario is altogether different. If and when the Supreme Court decides to hear the petitions of PML-N and PTI, it will have to delineate whether it can question the ruling of a sitting Speaker of the National Assembly. Speaker Fehmida Mirza has spoken her mind about the PM and the matter rests with the Supreme Court judges. The governing PPP is already aggressively propagating supremacy of the parliament vis-a-vis judiciary. It looks out to use the parliament as a shield where it enjoys a comfortable majority.

Legal experts were wonderstruck when the government did not go for a review of the order convicting the prime minister. But many now see it as a well calculated move. In the words of the veteran Supreme Court lawyer and seasoned politician, S.M.Zafar, it was the best shot from the PM and his legal team, led by Senator Aitzaz Ahsan.

Contrary to the majority of political and legal experts who thought the government chose the warpath by not filing review petition the government, Mr Zafar believes the decision would help calm frayed tempers.

Drawing upon his decades of experience in dealing with knotty constitutional matters, Mr Zafar told this correspondent that in the obtaining circumstances the apex court will avoid direct confrontation with the parliament.

At the maximum, he felt, it may ask the Speaker to reconsider her decision and forward the reference to Election Commission for latter’s adjudication on the subject. Even to reach to this decision, the judges have to be very careful considering the sanctity of the Speaker’s office, he said.

Dr Hassan Askari Rizvi, a political scientist, foresees three major repercussions of the ongoing conflict-like situation between the parliament and the courts.

First, whatever the outcome of the PTI and the PML-N writ petitions against the Speaker’s ruling, it will lead to further polarisation and divisiveness in national politics. The more this tiff between two important state institutions persists, the more politics in the country will be adrift.

Second, the Supreme Court, acting as the ultimate arbiter of what Constitution, decides in a way that is viewed as political. An outcome which gives the impression the Supreme Court is meddling in purely political issues would be unfortunate and injurious to its own credibility.

Third, and the worst case scenario, the present power equation will stay even if the court sends prime minister home by asking the Election Commission to proceed with the process of disqualifying him. The ruling coalition will elect a new prime minister who will also refuse to do what his predecessor refused and suffered – write letter to the Swiss authorities for reopening cases against the PPP co-chairman and president of the country, Mr Asif Ali Zardari.

Hopefully, the approaching general election would dissuade from  starting the legal battle anew which won’t bring the issue to a close, only bad name to the country.

Dr Rizvi thinks the Supreme Court should simply sleep over the writ petitions and let the political parties settle their rivalries in the election arena.

Lawyers across the board also are for careful handling of the situation arising out of the Speaker’s ruling and the challenge to it in the court. Even the counsel of one of the petitioners is not in a hurry for a quick hearing.

Advocate Muhammad Waqar Rana, who drafted the PTI petition has said that since such petitions had never been heard before, the Supreme Court should seek help of amicus curiae (friend of the court) to reach a definitive answer on this question.

Barrister Zafarullh Khan, who maintains a pro-PML-N stance, also is of the view that the court will try not to take the issue brought to it head-on. At the most it may ask the Election Commissioner to see whether the question of disqualification of the convicted prime minister arises or not, and that will take time.

Ahmer Bilal Sufi, an expert in international law, feels that it would be better if the concerned parties avoid confrontation and find a negotiated, amicable solution to the crisis.

Asma Jahangir, former chairperson, Supreme Court Bar Association, in a recent op-ed piece called upon all political forces of the country to work for smooth transition through a free and fair election. Her comment largely shed light on a number of anomalies which were still part of the constitution and being exploited by various quarters to their favour.