Following the second consecutive day of negotiations Wednesday, media outlets reported that Pakistan’s ruling coalition “will move to impeach President Pervez Musharraf on charges of plunging the country into a political and economic crisis.” According to the Associated Press, the PML-N announced Friday that it is rejoining the Cabinet, “a gesture of solidarity now that the bickering coalition partners have agreed to seek President Pervez Musharraf’s impeachment.” The PML-N dramatically resigned from the Cabinet in May, [see related post], over differences regarding the restoration of the judiciary. Today, however, PML-N party officials announced that four of the nine ministers who left would return “in a goodwill gesture.”
Although impeachment plans were announced Thursday, Musharraf still showed no signs of giving into political pressure. Instead, news sources reported the president remained “busy” planning his defense strategy. According to an article in the International Herald Tribune, entitled, “Musharraf Plans Spirited Defense,” the president “faces the first impeachment proceedings in Pakistan’s history.” Party leaders have told news agencies that the grounds for impeaching Musharraf included his imposition of emergency rule and the firing of nearly 60 judges last November as well as his mismanagement of the economy. The IHT article cited Mushahid Hussain, secretary general of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q who said of the president: “He will say: ‘Look here, I’ve been in office for eight years. I’ve made some mistakes but at least I am not a crook. I have no foreign bank accounts, no properties abroad, unlike the opposition leaders who are gunning for me.”‘
Additionally, noted Hussain:
Musharraf would try to draw a distinction between himself and his opponents: Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the majority party in the coalition, the Pakistan People’s Party, and Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N. In the 1990s, both Zardari and Sharif faced corruption charges in Pakistan, and Zardari spent nearly eight years in prison on charges that included paying for a country manor in Britain with illegal gains from Pakistan. On Zardari’s return to Pakistan earlier this year after the assassination of his wife, Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, the corruption charges were dropped as part of an amnesty deal with the Musharraf government.
PML-Q leaders have publicly asserted their support for Musharraf, and they are not alone. According to Dawn, “The president has been holding meetings with his legal aides and loyalists over the past two days. Prominent among those contacted by the president were PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Chaudhry Hamid Nasir Chattha, PML-F chief Pir Pagara, PPP-Sherpao president Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.” Musharraf loyalists claim the coalition lacks the two-thirds majority needed in the Parliament to constitutionally impeach the president.
The choice, noted, Mushahid, is essentially between President Musharraf and President Zardari. “That,” he asserted, “is the question for 160 million people of Pakistan.” According to both Pakistani and Western officials, reported the IHT, Zardari “has indicated that he would like to be president after Musharraf’s departure.” The start of the impeachment proceedings will reportedly begin Monday, and will take at least a week “to gather resolutions calling for the impeachment from provincial assemblies and for the National Assembly to formally approve the start of proceedings.” According to the IHT, “After those preliminaries, the Constitution requires the speaker of the National Assembly to call a joint session of both houses of Parliament no earlier than seven days and no later than 14 days after receiving the approval of Parliament to hear charges. The joint session would then basically become a jury on Musharraf’s tenure.”
Will Musharraf stick it out through the proceedings? At this point, it looks like he’s refusing to budge, despite calls to leave quietly and with his dignity still intact. An op-ed in The News today concluded, “The best course for him is to go. Mr. President, please spare the nation and go.” Whether or not he will heed such advice, of course, remains to be seen. [Image from the AFP]
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It’s not clear what the President of Pakistan can be impeached for. Anyway I thought that the Pakistani government (PPP and PML-N) wanted to restore the former Chief Justice. Impeaching the President is not going to achieve that. In fact impeaching Musharraf will not achieve anything. The status quo will remain. The only thing that will change is that there will be another president. What a waste of time and money!
Reading Pakistani newspapers I can see that they all want the President to leave before the impeachment process for “the sake of democracy”. However I thought the whole point of democracy is to all the constitution and parlimentary system to prevail. So in fact it is better for Pakistani democracy to allow the impeachment process to follow its natural course.
@This subject has already become so boring, the irony
is, that impeachables are impeaching others.
If, right now, the ruling Party could be brought before article
47, it can be impeached on the spot !!
MUSHARRAF CAN ALSO ASK THE LEGISLATIVES TO IMPEACH
PPP & ZARBHUTTS FOR HIGH TREASON art-47 (1)
CHECKMATE !!!!
They are coming for you !!!
I believe that Article 58(2b) in a sense is good for the country. There should be a system of checks on the powers of the Prime Minister.
If the Presidency is only of ceremonial nature, why don’t we just get rid of this institution? If nothing else, it would save the national exchequer from significant expenses incurred by the Presidency. I have never come to terms with the “concrete significance of Presidency” in our environment.
Why, and I repeat WHY, maintain such ceremonious institutions in a country which is ridden with poverty, where there is a huge different between wages and prices, and where there is shortage of everything from food to power? After all, the Presidency does not really hold any emotional, historical or social signifcance for Pakistanis (like the monarchy does for Canadians, and the Presidency in the U.S.).
I believe that Article 58-(2b) provides a sound “check” mechanism on the powers of the federal executive (if used fairly). The focus should be on changing characters and the need is for resolve on the part of the new government to be fair, transparent and provide good governance. If this happens, there would be no need for any President to invoke Article 58-(2b). The past repute of the people now rhetorically babbling about the impeachment is also ridden with various corruption schemes whilst in power previously. An idiom from Urdu would describe it best: “aaj kae hukumraan kaun sae doodh kae dhulae hain?” Same old faces, same old game, same old tricks.
We all know that new governments, with massive mandates, create an illusion of good governance in the beginning. However, as time passes and the “honey-moon” period is over, it is back to the norms: corruption, price hikes, artificial shortages, etc. etc. The need is for a firm resolve to put the interests of the country before self-ambitions and self-interest, not revoking Article 58-(2b). If Article 58-(2b) is to go, then might as well abolish Presidency.
If Mush goes then it would be the black day in the history of Pakistan. The guy has made some mistakes but tell honestly was not he sincere person ? Have we forget surrey palace, raiwand mehal so quickly ? Have we forget the video of song “Ehtisab” by Junoon ? I can’t believe that Pakistanis are doing this with Mush and the real issue is the educated class thinks democracy is the solution for Pakistan. Pakistan could never have any democracy until the masses are educated.
@58(2b)
very sound arguments, I may add that they should instal
and increase the power of National Security Council.
I think dictatorship should be the order of the day. The media has gotten out of hand and channels opposed to our beloved dictator should be taken off the air. Journalists should be bound, gagged and made to dance naked on the streets. If the lawyers think they’re above the law, they should be meted out with the same treatment. Tanks need to be parked at every corner, we need more army officers in our institutions. Who needs democracy, I say? Who needs to listen to what the people really want? Like all Pakistanis, they’re uneducated, ignorant and just don’t know whats good for them. Potraits of Altoo Bhai and Musharraf need to adorn our buildings. Mushy is the new Quaid. We should replace Jinnah’s picture with Musharraf’s. Yaaaaay for one-man rule. Boo for democracy. Forever, we will be slaves. We are not worthy of a king like Musharraf. We are not worthy.
PS: I’m done.
@Ignoramus,
My sympathies with you, yes it reminds me of Russian
communist KGB epoch. PPP rulers will repeat the same.
You and me, will witness.
[...] on the political front in Pakistan. CHUP! on the coalition in the country preparing to impeach President Musharraf. Posted by Neha [...]
@ Impeach or not to impeach !
round and round and round and round and round………..
Mushy will not resign, but face the crooks face to
face and reveal a lot !!!! PRESSURE IS STRONG AND
COLLOSAL.