PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN

Newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan

After Twenty-two years of struggle and at times a very lonely struggle, Imran Khan is finally the Prime Minister of Pakistan. A man who stood by his principles in his fight against corruption and for a fair society for his countrymen. He has finally broken the stranglehold of the two parties that have ruled Pakistan for the last thirty years.

The two party system is finally broken. Pakistan Muslim League and Pakistan People's Party during their thirty years of rule brought a culture of rampant corruption and kleptocracy. Billions of dollars were borrowed and spent on projects that offered high kickbacks, leaving the country indebted to the tune of $93 billion, some of it short-term market debt borrowed at exorbitant rates.

Incompetence and corruption of these two parties have ruined the economy of this otherwise vibrant country with an enormous potential for its 200 million people. It will be a tall order for Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party to fix the economy on an urgent footing, make structural changes to lift the sagging industry and offer incentives to increase export in order to reduce the balance of payments deficit.

The new Government will need to bring in major reforms to the economy. Strict accountability is also desperately needed.  There are reportedly over $200 billion of Pakistani money residing in Swiss Bank accounts. It remains to be seen how much of it can be brought back to the country. Tax collection is another major problem as in a country of over 200 million, only 800,000 pay taxes. The previous government made no effort to increase tax collection as key figures in that government were probably themselves tax evaders. 

Imran Khan and his Government have a number of challenges in front of them and expectations are extremely high. However, he appears determined to make things better for the people of Pakistan and they have reposed their full confidence in him.

Justice Delayed is DEFINITELY Justice Denied - Supreme Court of Pakistan Lets Down a Nation that Holds this Institution in High Regard

Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Chief Justice of Pakistan (Photo courtesy Samaa TV)

The deferment of a case against Pakistani Prime Minister for corruption and money laundering by a five member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan led by the Honorable Chief Justice has come as a complete shock to the nation especially after substantial hearing had been completed. The Supreme Court was expected to dispense justice and issue a verdict in this historic case, instead the Honorable Justices opted to go on vacation and leave the case unresolved. With the impending retirement of the CJ on December 31, 2016, it means a new bench will have to be formed by the incoming CJ and the entire hearing started anew. This is a classic case of JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED.

What is beyond logic is, why did the SC not hear the case on a day to day basis and complete this all important case several weeks ago. Also, the logic of CJ sitting on the bench knowing full well that his impending retirement could cause a major obstacle to the continuance and resolution of this case, is beyond comprehension.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan is held in high esteem by the public and when all else fails, people expect to receive a fair hearing and justice from this venerable institution. Leaving a case half way in this manner may seriously jeopardize the reputation of the last bastion of justice in Pakistan. God forbid, if people of Pakistan lose faith in this institution, then there will be no justice and no door left to knock at for righting the wrongs.

The Honorable Chief Justice does not retire until December 31 and to say there is no time left to finish this case is a gross injustice in itself. If the Honorable Chief Justice wants to leave his legacy and a mark as an upright and an outstanding jurist (which indeed he is without any doubt), then he should immediately recall the bench, cancel the vacation, complete the hearing and render a verdict before departing. Failing that, the deferment will be considered as Justice not appeared to have been done.

The famous Urdu poet of the subcontinent Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib once wrote about the injustice being dispensed to him in the following words:

Quote

Yeh musif khud bhi qaidi haen, hamein insaaf kiya dein ge
Likha hae in ke chehron par jo insaaf hum ko dein ge

End Quote

One is confident that the judiciary will do the right thing and history will judge the outgoing Chief Justice and the other four justices on the bench with reverence.

A Military Coup in Egypt is a recipe for disaster, it could lead to an all out Civil War.

Photo courtesy CNN

The uprising just over a year ago at Tahrir Square, Cairo was against a military dictatorship. A military coup in Egypt now, could have disastrous consequences for this country of 85 million people, possibly damaging it irreparably.

Egyptian Military is one of the most incompetent, ill trained, corrupt and  disorganized militaries of the world. Their Generals have fattened on power and graft, they are incapable of running the military, let alone run the country.

The uprising then was against the corrupt and hated regime of Hosni Mubarak, a military dictator who ruled for 25 years with an iron grip. The general public rose against the choke hold and wanted to see a democratic set up in the country. But due to manipulation of Egyptian military, (backed by U.S.) underhand deals were made with Muslim Brotherhood in the hope of restricting them to parliament only. The plan was to have a pliable candidate elected as President, so all good and independent minded Presidential candidates were barred from contesting elections.

Like most unholy deals, this too came undone. Contrary to earlier promises, Brotherhood insisted on fielding a candidate for President and withtheir extensive network, they were able to capture enough votes to control the parliament and then the Presidency. This was not the result people had demonstrated for, in fact this was a negation of their hopes and aspirations. Had the military not cut a deal, Brotherhood would probably not have won more than a handful of seats in the parliament.

The anger on the streets of Egypt today against Morsi regime is because he does not represent the the majority. Most Egyprians want a secular, democratic Egypt with freedom for all and not the theocratic state Muslim Brotherhood wants.

A military coup is neither appropriate nor an option at this stage. Brotherhood came to power through elections and they should be allowed to serve out their term. Next elections should be held without military intervention and should be free and fair. If that were to happen, chances are, Brotherhood will be voted out of office. Democratic means should be the only method for a change.

If Morsi survives, he should realize that he has come to power due to military's manipulation and he does not represent the majority. He should take the views of the majority into consideration.

A military coup now is likely to pit the Brotherhood against the military. The general public may feel relieved momentarily, but they too are in no mood for military rule again. In a worse case scenario, Brotherhood could take up arms Taliban style and inflict heavy blows on the military causing great upheaval leading to an all out civil war.

The Egypt Military and its sponsor (the U.S., the great champion of democracy) should think again before taking any steps to overthrow an elected regime, no matter how unpopular.

Pakistani Prime Minister found guilty in contempt case by the Supreme Court

In a unanimous 7-0 verdict, the Supreme Court of Pakistan found the Prime Minister, Mr. Yousaf Raza Gilani guilty of contempt under Article 63.1 (g) of the Constitution. Anyone found guilty under this clause, is barred from holding a public office for a period of five years.

Anywhere else in the world, the Prime Minister would have resigned immediately on moral ground, but this is Pakistan, where politicians morals rank pretty low. The ruling Pakistan People's Party is in defiant mood and will try to stretch it out as much as possible, but there is a constitutional limit to that too.

Two years ago, Supreme Court threw out the despised 'National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)', an outrageous law shamelessly crafted by then U.S. Secretary of State, Condi Rice and Musharraf the military dictator. It was to facilitate Benazir Bhutto's return to politics and to wipe out all corruption cases against her and her husband, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, the current Pakistani President.

The Supreme Court instructed the Government (headed by the Prime Minister) to re-open  cases withdrawn earlier under NRO, regarding muti-million dollar kick backs received by and lodged in Mr. Zardari's Swiss bank accounts. The Prime Minister refused and this led to the guilty verdict today. The court gave a rather lenient punishment as it could have sent the PM to prison for up to six months, but not wanting to create a precedent of handcuffing a sitting PM, the punishment was only until rising of the court, which was less than a minute, however, the guilty verdict stands.

There is a difference of opinion amongst constitutional lawyers whether PM is disqualified immediately as  Member of National Assembly, thus ineligible to hold the office of PM or a due process has to follow. Chances are, a due process will follow. Once detailed judgment is available from the Supreme Court, Speaker of National Assembly has   to refer it to the Chief Election Commissioner within 30 days. The CEC is the final authority that can unseat a Member of National Assembly. So, Mr. Gilani may have a few more weeks.

There is also the appeal process to a larger bench of the Supreme Court, which the Prime Minister will most certainly go for, however, his chances of being exonerated are rather minimal. This being a matter of national and Constitutional importance, the Chief Justice may even consider forming a full bench, comprising all 19 justices, so as to give finality to the verdict. The larger bench could stay the current verdict or the 30 day clock could run side by side with the appeal process.

Corruption in Egypt - AlJazeera video