Pakistan court orders arrest of prime minister
Source: Agencies |
January 16, 2013, Wednesday
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PAKISTAN'S Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the prime minister yesterday in connection with a corruption case linked to power projects, plunging the country into fresh political turmoil.
The move came as a populist cleric, who is believed to be backed by the military, demanded the resignation of the government in protests attended by thousands of followers in the heart of the capital Islamabad.
The Supreme Court gave authorities 24 hours to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 16 others.
Pakistan's stock exchange fell by nearly three percent after news of the court order, highlighting anxiety over political uncertainty.
The cleric, Tahir-ul-Qadri, threatened to remain camped out near the federal parliament with thousands of supporters until his demands were met. Qadri recently returned home from Canada to lead a call for reforms.
In a speech from behind a bullet-proof shield in front of the parliament, Qadri praised the military and the judiciary, the country's two other power centers.
"(The government) has wasted and brought a bad end to our armed forces, those armed forces who are highly sincere, highly competent and highly capable and highly professional," he said, alternating between Urdu and English.
"Even they can't do anything because the political government isn't able to deliver anything from this land. Judgments are being passed by our great, independent judiciary but the government is not ready to implement them."
A spokesman for the cleric said protesters would remain camped around the parliament until the government dissolved the legislature and announced the formation of a caretaker government.
At one point, security forces fired in the air and used tear gas to try and control the crowd. Interior Minister Rehman Malik later told local television channels the government would not cave in to Qadri.
"We will not accept Qadri's pressure because his demands are unconstitutional," Malik said.
Qadri's campaign has divided Pakistanis. Some hold him up as a champion of reform, others see him as a possible stooge of the military.
But he can mobilize thousands of members of his Minhaj-ul-Quran religious organization, which runs a network of schools and clinics and organizes relief for victims of natural disasters.
"He's spent huge money and he's putting his life on the line, he's here to redeem the people," said Mohammed Waqas Iqbal, a local government official who had traveled from a village in northern Punjab to attend the rally in Islamabad.
Qadri, who holds a doctorate in Islamic law, has impressed his followers with his readiness to leave a comfortable life in Canada to brave the potential security threats associated with participating in Pakistani politics.
The move came as a populist cleric, who is believed to be backed by the military, demanded the resignation of the government in protests attended by thousands of followers in the heart of the capital Islamabad.
The Supreme Court gave authorities 24 hours to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 16 others.
Pakistan's stock exchange fell by nearly three percent after news of the court order, highlighting anxiety over political uncertainty.
The cleric, Tahir-ul-Qadri, threatened to remain camped out near the federal parliament with thousands of supporters until his demands were met. Qadri recently returned home from Canada to lead a call for reforms.
In a speech from behind a bullet-proof shield in front of the parliament, Qadri praised the military and the judiciary, the country's two other power centers.
"(The government) has wasted and brought a bad end to our armed forces, those armed forces who are highly sincere, highly competent and highly capable and highly professional," he said, alternating between Urdu and English.
"Even they can't do anything because the political government isn't able to deliver anything from this land. Judgments are being passed by our great, independent judiciary but the government is not ready to implement them."
A spokesman for the cleric said protesters would remain camped around the parliament until the government dissolved the legislature and announced the formation of a caretaker government.
At one point, security forces fired in the air and used tear gas to try and control the crowd. Interior Minister Rehman Malik later told local television channels the government would not cave in to Qadri.
"We will not accept Qadri's pressure because his demands are unconstitutional," Malik said.
Qadri's campaign has divided Pakistanis. Some hold him up as a champion of reform, others see him as a possible stooge of the military.
But he can mobilize thousands of members of his Minhaj-ul-Quran religious organization, which runs a network of schools and clinics and organizes relief for victims of natural disasters.
"He's spent huge money and he's putting his life on the line, he's here to redeem the people," said Mohammed Waqas Iqbal, a local government official who had traveled from a village in northern Punjab to attend the rally in Islamabad.
Qadri, who holds a doctorate in Islamic law, has impressed his followers with his readiness to leave a comfortable life in Canada to brave the potential security threats associated with participating in Pakistani politics.
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