ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties in Pakistan have threatened to boycott national and provincial assemblies and then resign their seats if ruling Islamic Jamhoon Ittehad (IJI) persisted with its “negative” policies. Leaders of the opposition are all parties conference also warned that if its members were disqualified by special tribunals they would be forced to take drastic action. Former premier and leader of Pakistan people’s party (PPP), Benazir Bhutto and several PPP leaders are facing various charges including abuse of office and corruption, filed against them in special courts though presidential references. PPP sources allege that president Ghulam Ishaq Khan had asked judges of this court to speed up the process of hearings for Carly pronouncement of verdicts.
Official circles deny the charge, saying there was no interference in the judicial process.
In April this year, former law minister in the Bhutto government Iftikhar Hussein Gilani was disqualified by a special court in Preshawar on charges of misconduct.
Besides losing his membership in the national assembly and being barred from contesting elections for seven years, the court also imposed a fine of R.s two million on Gilani on charges of default of federal law ministy funds during his tenure in government.
The election commission, soon after, declared Gilani’s national assembly seat in Kohatas vacant and announced the schedule for by-elections, which swept the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad to power.
Gilani moved an appeal in the Pakistan Supreme Court, which stayed the operation of the special court order.
At the opposition meeting in Karachi, the leaders reiterated their allegations against president Ishaq Khan and charged that he had turned a blind eye towards the “black deeds” of the Nawaz Sharif government. The leaders felt that the Sharif government, which had come to power after including in “massive rigging”, had no right to continue in office.
Among those who attended the meeting were secretary general of Pakistan democratic party Arshad Choudhury, PPP leader Dr. Ashraf Abbasi, chief of Hizb-E-Jehad” Agha Murtaza Pooya, leader of Mazdoor Kisan party Fatehyab Ali Khan and Mohammad Ahmed Siddique of Jup.
Meanwhile, in an interview published in a leading Pakistani English daily, former interior minister in the PPP government, Ajitzaz Ashan said all PPP members would resign from parliament if Benazir Bhutto was disqualified.
Referring to the presidential references against PPP leaders, he said the entire process of accountability was patently discriminatory.
He said there was no IJI member of the national provincial assemblies facing any disqualification cases.
“It is arbitrary and an attempt to subvert parliament by putting pressure on the opposition,” he added.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 13, 1991
