Telenovela Pakistan

Confrontation. Show-down. Crisis. Judicial coup. Those were just some of the saucy terms used to describe Pakistan’s recent row last week, when President Asif Ali Zardari named judges to be appointed to Pakistan’s Supreme Court and Lahore High Court without first consulting Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The Supreme Court called the move unconstitutional and blocked [...]

Read Full Post »

As the Dust Settles, President Asif Ali Zardari Emerges Victorious

Yesterday’s presidential election ended with the predicted result – PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari swept the polls, winning a two-thirds majority that made him the next president of Pakistan. So what now? Does the future of Pakistan fall magically into place? Are all our problems solved because, hurrah, we now have a new president? Not [...]

Read Full Post »

Sharif Facing Corruption Charges as Presidency Election Approaches

On Tuesday, a Pakistani prosecutor for the state anti-graft agency, the National Accountability Bureau [for more background on the agency, read this past CHUP piece] announced he wanted corruption charges against PML-N head Nawaz Sharif taken up by the courts. However, reported Reuters, “Sharif says the corruption charges, filed against him after he was overthrown [...]

Read Full Post »

Breaking News: Coalition Agrees to Remove Musharraf

UPDATE [1240 EST]: The Associated Press cited statements by Farzana Raja, a spokesman for Asif Ali Zardari, who told the news agency that there was “no specific talk” of impeaching Musharraf in Tuesday’s discussions. The AP added, “She said her party wanted to avoid a confrontation with the presidency and was focused on a package [...]

Read Full Post »

BREAKING NEWS: It’s Official – the PML-N is Quitting the Cabinet

So it’s official – on Monday, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif announced that ministers from his party will resign from their posts tomorrow over differences regarding the restoration of the judiciary, [PML-N currently has nine ministers in the 24-member federal cabinet]. Media coverage yesterday predicted this development, following news that the ruling parties had not come to an agreement [...]

Read Full Post »

And the Deadline Will Pass (Again)…

With the deadline to restore the judiciary slated to pass on Monday, media outlets on Sunday reported that Pakistan’s ruling coalition have yet to reach an agreement on the issue. As a result of this development (or lack thereof), most news coverage focused on what this could mean for the future of the coalition. The [...]

Read Full Post »

May 12: The New Deadline for Judiciary Restoration?

Following speculations of a fracturing coalition government and “last-ditch” talks between top leaders to address the judiciary issue, [see previous post] media outlets Friday reported that PML-N head Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari set May 12 as the final date for restoring Pakistan’s ousted judges. At a news conference, Nawaz told reporters, [...]

Read Full Post »

Nawaz and Zardari’s “Last-Ditch” Efforts

The restoration of the judiciary continued to dominate news coverage of Pakistan on Wednesday, and media outlets reported that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari met for “a decisive round of talks” on the issue in Dubai. According to the Associated Press, “Pakistani leaders were up against a key deadline Wednesday [...]

Read Full Post »

The Road for “PM Zardari” is Paved in Gold

On Monday, the Pakistani Supreme Court struck down a requirement introduced by the government of President Pervez Musharraf that parliamentary candidates must hold a Bachelors degree. The News reported today, “A seven-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, while hearing the petition filed against the condition of graduation [...]

Read Full Post »

Gilani Sworn In, “Cool Reception” for Visiting U.S. Envoys

On Tuesday, the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gilani, was sworn into office in a ceremony that garnered major media attention. According to the NY Times, “a somewhat stiff” President Pervez Musharraf administered the oath of the new leader, which was a “highly emotional moment” for the followers of recently assassinated Benazir Bhutto. [...]

Read Full Post »