Adil Najam
Pakistan seems to be in a whole new phase of ‘politics by References.’
The speaker of the National Assembly has forwarded the disqualification reference against Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, which was filed by opposition members of National Assembly Thursday in the chamber of Speaker National Assembly.
The opposition members in the reference have demanded of the speaker to send it to Election Commission within 30 days. A reference, signed by 31 opposition members, stated that prime minister is not eligible for Assembly membership under articles 62 and 63 of the constitution.
According to a charge framed in the reference, prime minister had caused stock market crisis through his front man Arif Habib and earned the money by illegal means. Privatization of Steel Mills also mentioned in the reference and stated that the verdict of the Supreme Court in this connection is sufficient for disqualification of the prime minister.
Addressing a news conference in Parliament cafeteria after filing the reference, opposition members Liaquat Baloch, Khurshid Shah and Khwaja Asif said that speaker is bound to forward the reference to the Election Commission within 30 days. They demanded the speaker to send the reference against Shaukat Aziz with the same swiftness with which he sent the reference against Imran Khan to Election Commission.
I must say, I do not like any of these references. Mostly because I do not like the idea of ‘Politics by References.’
Individual references could well have merit and as a political tool they are perfectly legitimate. However, what this new “Politics by References” signifies is an urge to use this particular tool because other political tools are either unavailable or have become defunct. In being so, this “Politics by References” is an indicator of an assault on politics. Not just ‘democratic politics’, but politics.
When political processes and options are restricted, political operatives (whether they are elected or not) find alternative means by which to indulge in politics. At the very extreme these ‘alternative means’ are violent. That is why the democratic political space must never be constricted.
In general, it is better for politics to be played out in the arena of public will and public voice, rather than through the legalities and technicalities of references. However, when the politics of public voice is constrained, it is then that the politics of technicalities takes center stage.
Don Altaf Hussain of the Mutahida bhatta movement calling the division of the subcontinent the greatest blunder in the history of mankind and asking for Indian help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMSVYTgFIPA
Babar Ghauri and those he represent haven’t evolved to the level of crawling things on this earth. I am amazed at Imran that he is still willing to sit with these people; it takes a lot of courage to do that.
Babar Ghauri played his last and perhaps the only card on capital talk about Imran’s “moral lapses.” This was the lowest MQM could fall on national tv. They did fall in the public to that level by chalking on the walls of the city a few weeks ago and it fired back. In the end Babar Ghauri looked diminished and by god regretting what happened on may 12. The more they try to pull themselves out of the ditch the deeper they seem to sink in it.
May be the cries of thousands of nameless and faceless bodies murdered by this mafia are finally being heard.
Mushy has totally lost his way, and forgotten the 7 point agenda…
His cronies(PML-Q and MQM) are ensuring that he dances to their tunes, but then again Musharraf himself made PML-Q ….so its his fault..
As Imran said, Give this nation justice, and they will rise up themselves!
So true, he is! So very true!
without proper justice system these refrences are just tactics to crush any voice which bother them.