ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top leaders resigned July 18, in an Army assisted effort to break the political deadlock which had gripped Pakistan for the last six months.
The resignations of the President and Prime Minister paved the way for fresh elections slated for Oct.6, The opposition leader and former P.M. Benazir Bhutto welcomed these developments.
Moeen Qureshi, vice president of the World Bank, was sworn in as the caretaker Prime Minister while Waseem Sajjad the chairman of the Senate, Pakistan’s upper house of parliament took over as the interim President. To ensure his impartiality the interim P.M. is not allowed to participate in the new elections.
Similar set ups are being proposed for Pakistan’s four provinces, headed by Governors and chief ministers. These regions too would be held by officials who would not participate in the elections. The political formula had been worked out during negotiations earlier between the powerful Army Chief General Abdul Waheed, President Gulam Ishaq and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Moeen Qureshi said he would earnestly consider the proposal of electoral reforms to guarantee impartial elections to the national and four provincial assemblies in October this year.
“We will study them very Seri while commenting on the sever Point agenda floated by the Paki. Stan people’s party leader, Benazir Bhutto for impartial polls.
Qureshi, who had an hour long Meeting with Bhutto at her residence on Tuesday morning, indicated changes in terms of structure, Procedures and regulations that governed the election process.
Replying to questions, the caretaker premier felt that factionalism and divisions were one of the most serious problems in Pakistan. It was not a problem that could be resolved in a short period, he added.
“Now there can’ be a period of much greater harmony where differences in political matters can be Resolved through a democratic process fairly and squarely that is what elections are good for,” Qureshi maintained.
Meanwhile, the chief election commissioner, justice (Retd) Naimuddin told newsmen the election commission would be examine the “legality and constitutionality” of holding the national and Provincial assembly elections on the same day.
Political observers feel that even though the democratic system in Pakistan has been saved by the army from coming precariously close to falling apart, the problems are far from over as neutrality of the care taker setup would be put under great pressure with elections coming nearer.
‘The intercession of the chief of the army staff, gen Abdul Waheed, has demonstrated that when political leaders fail to resolve their differences, the army has to step in as a final arbiter of the country’s politics.
But political observers are of the view that the strenuous efforts of Gen Waheed to broker a deal under which both Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Nawaz Sharif had to go so that ¢lections under neutral arrangements sign for a healthy democratic order.
The army has also undertaken to ensure that elections (6 the national assembly on October 6 and to the provincial assemblies on October 9 were free and fair, their outcome accepted by all and the new assemblies had the legitimacy.
Commenting on the political situation in Pakistan, the country’s leading daily “Dawn” in its editorial States that it would be mistaken to believe that with the departure of the controversial figures from the Scene and induction of the caretaker administrations at the center and in the four provinces, all problems would be automatically resolved and Pakistan would soon Resume its journey on the path of political stability and progress.
“What the crisis has done is to highlight the fragility and immaturity of our democratic setup, The crisis manifested itself not only in the standoff: between the president and the prime minister and in the resulting paralysis of the federal government and the Punjab administration but in the rank Opportunism of some top political personalities and in the case with which large numbers of legislators Switched their loyalties or promised 10 d0 $0,” the newspaper commented.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 23, 1993
