Court ruling raises fears of instability in Pakistan
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 26, 2009 00:00
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Supreme Court yesterday barred opposition leader Nawaz Sharif from elected office, raising the prospect of fresh political instability in the country as its shaky government struggles against rising Islamist militancy.
The court also upheld a challenge against the election of Sharif's brother, Shahbaz Sharif, to a seat in the Punjab Assembly, meaning he cannot continue as head of the provincial government in the country's most populous and wealthy region. The court was hearing appeals against a ruling barring Sharif from contesting elections because of a prior criminal conviction. The judges were also considering allegations of irregularities in Shahbaz's election to the provincial parliament.
The long-awaited decisions will deepen a growing rift between Sharif, one of the country's most popular politicians who heads its largest opposition grouping, and the pro-Western coalition government under President Asif Ali Zardari.
Sharif, who has twice been Pakistan's prime minister, has already announced his support for what is expected to be a large rally next month by lawyers whose protests over the past two years helped drive former President Pervez Musharraf from power. His supporters accused Zardari of influencing the Supreme Court to neutralize a powerful rival.
Powerful figure
In a sign of Sharif's influence and power, visiting U.S. officials frequently travel to his house in the Punjab to meet him, the most recent being Richard Holbrooke, the American envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan. The prospect of Sharif and his supporters leading a campaign against Zardari will concern Washington, which wants the country to put the political turmoil of Musharraf's final years behind it and concentrate squarely on the threat posed by al-Qaida and the Taliban. U.S. officials also fear Pakistan's lawless border regions are being used to plan terrorist attacks on the West.
The country of 180 million people is also up against a punishing economic crisis and is trying to soothe tensions with fellow nuclear-armed nation India over last year's terror attacks on Mumbai, which were allegedly carried out by Pakistani militants. The verdicts triggered a 5 percent drop in Pakistan's benchmark stock index on expectation of political tensions and possible street violence. Sharif supporters demonstrated in several town and cities. Some torched tires, but there was no immediate reports of any violence.
The long-awaited decisions will deepen a growing rift between Sharif, one of the country's most popular politicians who heads its largest opposition grouping, and the pro-Western coalition government under President Asif Ali Zardari.
Sharif, who has twice been Pakistan's prime minister, has already announced his support for what is expected to be a large rally next month by lawyers whose protests over the past two years helped drive former President Pervez Musharraf from power. His supporters accused Zardari of influencing the Supreme Court to neutralize a powerful rival.
Powerful figure
In a sign of Sharif's influence and power, visiting U.S. officials frequently travel to his house in the Punjab to meet him, the most recent being Richard Holbrooke, the American envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan. The prospect of Sharif and his supporters leading a campaign against Zardari will concern Washington, which wants the country to put the political turmoil of Musharraf's final years behind it and concentrate squarely on the threat posed by al-Qaida and the Taliban. U.S. officials also fear Pakistan's lawless border regions are being used to plan terrorist attacks on the West.
The country of 180 million people is also up against a punishing economic crisis and is trying to soothe tensions with fellow nuclear-armed nation India over last year's terror attacks on Mumbai, which were allegedly carried out by Pakistani militants. The verdicts triggered a 5 percent drop in Pakistan's benchmark stock index on expectation of political tensions and possible street violence. Sharif supporters demonstrated in several town and cities. Some torched tires, but there was no immediate reports of any violence.