Gilani to side with Zardari through thick and thin

Source: The News

Vows not to become another Farooq Leghari

Saturday, January 02, 2010
By Rauf Klasra

ISLAMABAD: Testing times for Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani are said to have finally begun now as he got wind of fast approaching new eventualities to be unfolded in the days to come. However, he is now all determined not to become a new Farooq Leghari.

Gilani is said to have revealed to his close confidants in recent days that instead of being used by the establishment or other forces, who desperately want him to play the role of Farooq Leghari in the current situation, he would simply quit like an honourable prime minister, in case President Asif Zardari is made to leave the Presidency at the gun point or through the courts.

Gilani is said to have shared this secret with his close confidants that looming threats to survival of President Zardari are not fully over. Gilani has been deliberately trying hard to be seen standing besides his party chairperson, not with those forces who are out to demolish the PPP. Gilani, in private discussions with his close friends, has even endorsed the fiery speech of Asif Zardari, delivered on December 27 to mark the second death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto, as he believes that Asif Ali Zardari is being hounded and he should bounce back.

Unlike the general perception in the media and the public, PM Gilani is said to have decided to show ‘defiance” instead of falling in line to make certain pillars of the state “pleased” with his actions, who for obvious reasons want to use him against President Zardari. Gilani is even thinking seriously to allow the mighty establishment forces and certain constitutional pillars of the state once again rub their shoulders with Nawaz Sharif, who may not be an easy politician to be handled and dictated like the present besieged PPP leadership.

Background information available with this correspondent revealed that PM Gilani had taken this new turn in his politics, after he realised in the recent weeks that 10-month-old prophecy of President Zardari was turning out to be true that one day, the president would be the sole target of the restored judges, because his political and non-political opponents would definitely use the courts to get rid of him, after failing to make him quit on gunpoint. But, despite strong reservations of Zardari, this was PM Gilani who strongly argued with a stubborn president late night on March 15 and got the judges restored with the promise that it would bring normalcy to the otherwise volatile politics of the country. But, unfolding events of the last a few weeks had confirmed the worst fears of Zardari and now the burden of responsibility had conveniently shifted over to the shoulders of Gilani to decide whether he would betray the PPP chairperson, and subsequently save himself in power corridors, or he would also go with Zardari like an honourable politician.

After carefully considering all options, PM Gilani was said to have taken a firm decision that he would not stay in power, if Zardari was kicked out of the presidency, as he would not earn the infamous title of Farooq Leghari.

After reaching this difficult decision — that now it was time to defy powers that be — PM Gilani invited anchors, he considered aggressive and hostile, from all the television channels to the PM House last week with a purpose. The purpose was to reveal that it was he who had restored the judges, not Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The confident tone of Gilani had greatly surprised the hostile anchors because none of them was expecting this kind of loud message from the office of the PM for simple reasons, that they considered him more close to the GHQ than the Presidency. But, PM Gilani demolished this image of “GHQ man” before the hostile anchors, who were in a sense of disbelief how a man like Gilani could revolt against the COAS. To further remove their doubts, Gilani hurriedly told them that they better ask General Kayani, who urged him to make a late night phone call to Aitzaz Ahsan. Gilani did not mince his words that Asif Zardari had not authorised him to make a call to Aitzaz Ahsan. PM Gilani emphasized that it was he who had restored the judges. His message was clear that COAS Kayani did not have any role whatsoever in judges’ restoration. But, Gilani did not forget to tell the anchors that restoration was not possible without the support of Zardari. So, Gilani shared his credit with Zardari, not with Kayani, and this was what had surprised everyone there. The sole message of this press conference, meant for the judiciary, was that judges should not feel obliged to the Army chief, as these were political masters of Pakistan who had restored them.

Gilani did not stop here after talking to the anchors at the PM House. In the second phase of his campaign to save his president from being axed, he took a brigade of the most influential anchor persons — chosen carefully from the otherwise long list — with him to Gwadar, to further discuss his fast diminishing options with them and what should be done.

To the much surprise of all, PM Gilani was seen inviting anchors one by one to sit beside him in the VIP cabin of C-130 plane and discussing the current volatile political situation. The focus of Gilani’s discussion with each anchor was to read reaction in the media about his dramatic decision to side with Zardari, and most importantly, what he might do in the days to come. This was something unexpected for many anchors, when majority of them found Gilani strongly arguing the case of Zardari. He also conveyed to all that he might show defiance instead of being seen as a mere spectator, when his own party chairperson was put under siege by different forces. After meeting Gilani in his C-130 plane, almost all the anchors had one thing common to share with one another that PM Gilani did not forget to tell them in a firm tone that he was not Farooq Leghari.

The message was delivered in a clear tone that those who wanted to get Zardari should know that PM Gilani would not betray his president, and they better get prepared to get rid of him, too, if they all had finally decided to execute the much trumpeted ‘minus one’ formula.

The anchors, who exchanged their views with PM Gilani in plane, also agreed to an extent that Gilani understood clearly that now he would be the next target of the establishment, the media and other forces after he terribly failed to live up to their wild expectations to fall in line and betray Zardari when the iron was hot. But, PM Gilani believed that it was time for him to show some guts, bravery, and defy those forces, who, he believed, had ganged up against his party president and were subsequently trying to dictate their own agenda.

One source close to Gilani claimed that the premier was ready to take the huge risk of losing the power. But, he was confident that he would earn respect in the masses if he did not become a new Farooq Leghari for the PPP from the Seraiki area. Gilani also believes that defiance to the establishment always pays as it paid in the case of ZAB and Nawaz Sharif, who had refused to fall in line and subsequently became leaders in the process in their own right.

Kaira for holding judges, generals accountable

Monday, January 04, 2010
Says those who sought Bhutto’s hanging are now conspiring against Zardari

By our correspondent

LAHORE: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira on Sunday rejected ‘selective trial’ of the Pakistan People’s Party, and demanded accountability of the judiciary and generals as well, who aided dictatorships in the past.

Talking to the media persons at the Hafizabad Press Club, Kaira said the focus of the accountability process should not be confined only to the PPP, whose leaders had been politically victimised time and again. He said PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was victimised and subjected to judicial murder, while party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had also been kept in jail for long years to victimise him politically. He said Zardari spent 11 years in jails, but not a single case was proved against him and now, once again, baseless charges were being levelled against him.

On the other hand, the minister said, the PPP did not file any politically-motivated case against the opponents despite the fact that the party itself remained a target of this sort of victimisation.

Answering a question, Kaira said if the politicians could be taken to task, why the judges and generals couldn’t be, who had been conspiring against democratic set-ups in the past. He said if politicians could have been held accountable for their actions since 1970, the judiciary should also be asked for its acts from 2007 onwards.

Kaira said the judges, generals, politicians and all those who played dubious roles in the past should be held accountable for their deeds. He said even those who had remained part and parcel of subverting the Constitution by joining hands with dictators like Ziaul Haq and Musharraf were now raising questions about the delay in the scrapping of the 17th Amendment.

He said the PPP leadership had faced imprisonments and it never felt afraid of the accountability process. He said PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif had to make a deal to save his life from a dictator and his return to Pakistan was made possible only after Benazir Bhutto returned to the country after signing the National Reconciliation Ordinance.

He said it was the PPP, which gave the 1973 Constitution to Pakistan and it was again this party which was working to remove amendments to the Constitution made by the dictators. He alleged that baseless propaganda was continuing against the PPP, adding that dictators had ruined Pakistan but the PPP always played a major role in saving the country.

He said Rs 17 billion were being spent on the Benazir Income Support Programme and this amount would also be increased to curb poverty and to benefit the poor population of the country.

Kaira said conspiracies were being hatched against the PPP government but all these conspiracies would be foiled. Inaugurating the newly-constructed press club in Hafizabad, he said the PPP had offered great sacrifices for democracy, but baseless propaganda was being made against it.

“Our leader Benazir Bhutto gave her life for the restoration of democracy. Those who wanted Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to be hanged, now once again are hatching conspiracies against President Asif Ali Zardari.”

He urged the PPP workers to unite as they were the strength of the party. APP adds: Federal Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said the Pakistan People’s Party had never felt afraid of accountability and it wanted to have a transparent accountability system for all those who had plundered the national exchequer.

“We have put the country on the right path,” and approved the National Finance Commission Award with consensus, he said. He said a poverty survey of the country was being conducted to help the poor by implementing Wasila-e-Haq and through other such initiatives.

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=26463

Zardari’s critics (Shahid Masood, Shaheen Sehbai, Talat Hussain etc) often criticized him for remaining confined to his bunker in the Presidency. Asadullah Ghalib has written an article on this topic, in view of Zardari’s recent speeches in public meetings:

Here is an op-ed by Latif Chaudhry on the same topic: