Adil Najam
Today (Monday) was supposed to be the big showdown between the Supreme Court and the Government on the question of the legality of the 18th Amendment. The date for that showdown has been pushed forward to the end of the month. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is supposed to be anther big showdown between the Supreme Court and the Government; on the issue of the NRO and its beneficiaries.
Irrespective of the questions about which way either of these should or would go (or why), one looks at the news and wonders if this tension and tussle between the Supreme Judiciary and the Government has gone too far. We thought we should ask you: is this good, bad, or outright ugly?
More importantly, what might be the impacts of these developments on the institutional structures and precedents in Pakistan. Is this a sign of a maturing institutional landscape where a new balance of power and a system of checks and balances is emerging? Or is this a sign of impending breakdown of the institutional balance?
What do you think. Especially, what do you think about the longer-range impacts of these developments. No matter how these cases end, will they leave Pakistan’s politics stronger, or weaker? And why?
Our Jiyalay Bhai, Mr.Eidee Man is right:
PPP is the one party that is unequivocally against the menace of terrorism
Because PPP is more willing to their own version of terrorists; Raja Pervaiz, Abdul Rahman Malik,Naik ,Babar Awan are few of many who have been terrorizing the entire Pakistan but their brutal policies. And it’s damn funny how CJ Iftikhar and His team are being labeled as Taliban now because it disappointed radical Pakistani lefts.
@faria
“Why on earth anyone would defend this government is beyond me.”
Perhaps the tiny fact that they won a majority in the polls? Or maybe because the PPP is the one party that is unequivocally against the menace of terrorism?
Why on earth anyone would defend this government is beyond me. We all know where the skeletons are, and where willing to let them lie. Unfortunately PPP have no plan for governance and have no understanding of economic policy. There were many voices at the time calling for the government to institute the necessary budgetary and fiscal discipline needed, in order to forgo the IMF. So-called ‘leftist’ or liberals that support this government do the cause of meritocracy and plurality an abundant amount of harm. PPP do not represent the left. The fight with the judiciary will not result in the fall of this government, the economic reality will lead to a collapse to the inevitable collapse
Anyone who knows Nusrat (and I have known him many years) knows that according to him every government is always falling. The great thing about that is that since every government always eventually falls, he is always eventually right, even if he is wrong on his predictions most of the time.
Nusrat Javed (a very well connected Journalist with deep throats within the establishment) is openly saying that this Governments days are numbered and we will have a dismissal by July after the budget session of Parliament. Bye Bye Zardari! He says he had heard several discussions in this regard emerging from the corridors of power. This dysfunctional Govt cannot and will not last another 3 years. It completes half its term in 2 months, yet every economic indicator is down. A national unity Govt led by Technocrats may be formed. Will the CJ dismiss this Govt. Zardari and crowd will do everything in their power to make hay while the sun shines, because they know their days are numbered.