Pakistani expats agree with Gilani disqualification

Several members of the Pakistani community in Qatar have welcomed the Pakistan Supreme Court’s decision to disqualify Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, calling it a step in the right direction that would lead to accountability and supremacy of the rule of law in the country. Pervez Iqbal, the patron-in chief of Pakistan Muslim League–N Welfare Qatar said the disqualification of Gilani is a right step taken by the judiciary to hold powerful people like Gilani accountable for their deeds. “Like the other 180mn Pakistanis, I appreciate and fully support the decision. We salute the Supreme Court and the chief justice for bringing powerful people like Gilani to book. The judgment was a victory of the Constitution and democracy and establishment of constitutional supremacy,” Iqbal said. “The new premier will have to obey the order of the Supreme Court to write a letter to Swiss authorities to open graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The present government is a perfect recipe for the country’s disaster if it continued to remain in power,” he said, urging the government to call for general elections. “There is not a single good thing that the present government has done so far to justify its further stay in power. The decision is historic because it has demarcated the limits of judiciary and parliament.” Furqan Paracha, president of sociocultural forum Ehsaas too welcomed the top court’s decision. “This verdict confirms justice for all regardless the position a person would hold. Gilani used every trick in his bag to obviate meaningful investigations against his sons Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani and Syed Ali Musa Gilani, for months. Now the two young men will be deprived of the powerful parental patronage,” reiterated Paracha. “One of them is a member of the Punjab Assembly but is mired in the Haj corruption scandal while the other, a member of the National Assembly, is caught up in the Rs7bn ephedrine import quota scam.” He said the case of Adnan Khawaja’s appointment as OGDC chairman was a typical case of corruption. Khawaja, a former jailmate, was appointed on the orders of Gilani. Insaaf welfare forum chairman Saleem Khattak lamented that the court decision should have come earlier. “The Gilani regime pushed the whole country into darkness. The worst-ever (electricity) load shedding in the history of Pakistan has been a consequence of corruption, bad governance and meddling in the affairs of the electricity department. “Among Gilani’s ‘achievements’ are worsening law and order situation, highest inflation, currency depreciation, unemployment and destruction of industries,” said Khattak. Punjab Music Group president Shahid Rasheed said the apex court’s decision was historic and sets a new direction for the political system in Pakistan. “As the chief executive of the country, Gilani should have set himself as a role model for others by following the court orders,” said Rasheed. “The obvious implication is a precedent has been set that conviction would follow disqualification from the membership of a legislature. The Supreme Court has sent a clear signal that the government would have to bring back the looted national assets and stashed abroad home.” Prominent community member Raja Mohamed Afzal said that the verdict was against a single corrupt individual. “It was not against the system, and the decision of the SC will strengthen the institution by defining the supremacy of law and equal justice for all,” articulated Afzal. “The extreme corruption of the Gilani family has come to an end.” According to Afzal, Gilani’s rule was the worst in Pakistan’s 65-year history in terms of massive corruption and conspiracies against the country and state institutions, particularly the judiciary and the Army. “The conspiracy against the nation is evident from mismanagement in the 50-month tenure of the ex-PM, who appointed four governors of Sate Bank, six secretaries of finance, four ministers of finance, 10 DGs of FIA and three NAB chairmen. “Examples of bad governance galore - Pakistan Steel was earning a profit of Rs11bn before Gilani’s arrival but now it has lost Rs120bn. Similar is the condition of PIA, NBP, SSGC, SNGC, OGDC, CDA, Railways, PSO, EOBI and all other public sector Corps as it can be verified in Transparency International’s latest reports.” Dubious distictions embellish premier Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani was the fifth prime minister in Pakistan’s  64-year history who spent more than 1,000 days in office. With his disqualification on Tuesday, prior to completion of his stipulated tenure in office, he becomes the 14th prime minister to leave office for without having served a complete term. Gilani is also the only prime minister in the country’s history who appeared in the Supreme Court thrice while he was in power. Gilani was hit by Article 63(1)(g), which says a person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being, member of Parliament, if he has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction for propagating any opinion, or acting in any manner, prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan, or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or the integrity, or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary or the armed forces of Pakistan, unless a period of five years has lapsed since his release.