While India is waiting for the nominations for the post of the 13th President of India, there is trouble brewing next door. The Pakistan SC has found the Prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani guilty in a contempt of court case, which lead to him being disqualified as a member of parliament. Now, you probably cant be a prime minister in Pakistan if you aren’t an MP first. The court stated ‘the office of the prime minister stands vacant.’
This is an incredibly daring stand by the SC in a country in which the army maintains a tight hold over the law and politics. In fact, Gilani is guilty of not following court orders for reopening cases of graft and corruption against the Prez, Asif Ali Zardari. While Zardari is still the President, Gilani’s kursi seems to be in danger. However, the Parliament speaker refused to disqualify Gilani, stating some legal matters and that the ‘parliament is above all’. Legally or illegally, he is still the PM. And the country is readying for a long legal battle.
There is a lesson in this episode because of the sheer daring required for removing a prime minister on issues like ‘contempt of court’. Somewhere in all the poverty, corruption terrorism, the Pak judiciary seems to have independence. Here, witnesses and evidences are neglected in front of the political clout of people. We haven’t yet put Nithyananda behind bars and one of the presidential nominees has an unclear hand in the defense and foreign affairs deals. Our judiciary has something to learn from Pak.
While India is waiting for the nominations for the post of the 13th President of India, there is trouble brewing next door. The Pakistan SC has found the Prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani guilty in a contempt of court case, which lead to him being disqualified as a member of parliament. Now, you probably cant be a prime minister in Pakistan if you aren’t an MP first. The court stated ‘the office of the prime minister stands vacant.’
This is an incredibly daring stand by the SC in a country in which the army maintains a tight hold over the law and politics. In fact, Gilani is guilty of not following court orders for reopening cases of graft and corruption against the Prez, Asif Ali Zardari. While Zardari is still the President, Gilani’s kursi seems to be in danger. However, the Parliament speaker refused to disqualify Gilani, stating some legal matters and that the ‘parliament is above all’. Legally or illegally, he is still the PM. And the country is readying for a long legal battle.
There is a lesson in this episode because of the sheer daring required for removing a prime minister on issues like ‘contempt of court’. Somewhere in all the poverty, corruption terrorism, the Pak judiciary seems to have independence. Here, witnesses and evidences are neglected in front of the political clout of people. We haven’t yet put Nithyananda behind bars and one of the presidential nominees has an unclear hand in the defense and foreign affairs deals. Our judiciary has something to learn from Pak.