RayKalm
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Military coup feared coming in Pakistan
Editor’s Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.
WASHINGTON – Pakistan is going through fresh internal political turmoil as the country’s president, Ali Zardari, sees major government institutions uniting with the goal of ousting him, according to report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
The military appears to be using the country’s powerful judiciary to force political change, which could be a leadup to a possible military coup out of concern for corruption that appears to be running rampant among some of the government’s ministers.
The military is no friend of Zardari but until now has worked behind the scenes to challenge the president.
The judiciary, with apparent military acquiescence, has ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for alleged corruption while he was the minister of water and power under the previous prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was forced to leave office due to a conviction by the same court.
Support for the military is coming from two major opposition figures who are avowed anti-Americans and could be set up by the military to assume power with a potential resignation by Zardari.
One of those demanding Zardari’s resignation is a Pakistani-Canadian cleric Tahirul Qadri, who is actively leading major demonstrations against the government.
The other is former cricket player turned politician Imran Khan. He heads the Pakistani Tehrik-e-Insaaf, PTI, or Justice Movement. Like Qadri, Khan has led many demonstrations demanding Zardari’s resignation and the arrest of Ashraf as ordered by the court.
“Many believe that Khan, like Qadri, is fully backed by the military establishment, charges that both politicians deny,” according to comments by regional analyst Syed Fazl-e-Haider to the Asia Times.
“If the army openly wades into the conflict between the government and the judiciary, this may delay the election, posing a further threat to the democratic system,” Haider said.
General elections are to take place on May 17, but demonstrators are demanding electoral reforms before then.
“If the generals and judges have indeed formed an alliance aiming at the creation of a ‘controlled democracy,’ then a new force, not tried and tested before in politics, could soon be ruling the country,” Haider added. “Some political observers say the PTI, which is on good terms with both the judiciary and military, could be the political wing of that third force.”
Haider pointed out that judicial activism shows a power shift in the country where the military had called the shots for the past decades.
“It has been the army in the past that dismissed the civilian governments,” Haider said, “but now the judiciary is powerful enough to oust a sitting premier and his cabinet.”
Yet, the military continues to call the shots even though it now has let the judiciary take the lead in ousting civilian governments the military doesn’t like.
This happened when former Pakistani president, retired Gen. Pervez Musharraf, had fired the country’s top judge, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary, and had declared martial law.
Ultimately, sources say, the military will have the last say, using the judiciary as its instrument.
The concern is that the military still regards India as Pakistan’s chief enemy and has control and influence over more than 30 terrorist groups which could act as proxies for the military, as now is occurring in the disputed area of India-administered Kashmir which has a Muslim majority population.
As a result of the latest attacks by Pakistani terrorist groups in Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may be reconsidering diplomatic ties with Pakistan.
Such a development could upset U.S. strategy for the region, since relations between Pakistan and the U.S. already are approaching the breaking point.
Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about critical developments around the globe with Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by the founder of WND.
For the complete report and full immediate access to Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, subscribe now.
Read more at Military coup feared coming in Pakistan
Editor’s Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.
WASHINGTON – Pakistan is going through fresh internal political turmoil as the country’s president, Ali Zardari, sees major government institutions uniting with the goal of ousting him, according to report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
The military appears to be using the country’s powerful judiciary to force political change, which could be a leadup to a possible military coup out of concern for corruption that appears to be running rampant among some of the government’s ministers.
The military is no friend of Zardari but until now has worked behind the scenes to challenge the president.
The judiciary, with apparent military acquiescence, has ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for alleged corruption while he was the minister of water and power under the previous prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was forced to leave office due to a conviction by the same court.
Support for the military is coming from two major opposition figures who are avowed anti-Americans and could be set up by the military to assume power with a potential resignation by Zardari.
One of those demanding Zardari’s resignation is a Pakistani-Canadian cleric Tahirul Qadri, who is actively leading major demonstrations against the government.
The other is former cricket player turned politician Imran Khan. He heads the Pakistani Tehrik-e-Insaaf, PTI, or Justice Movement. Like Qadri, Khan has led many demonstrations demanding Zardari’s resignation and the arrest of Ashraf as ordered by the court.
“Many believe that Khan, like Qadri, is fully backed by the military establishment, charges that both politicians deny,” according to comments by regional analyst Syed Fazl-e-Haider to the Asia Times.
“If the army openly wades into the conflict between the government and the judiciary, this may delay the election, posing a further threat to the democratic system,” Haider said.
General elections are to take place on May 17, but demonstrators are demanding electoral reforms before then.
“If the generals and judges have indeed formed an alliance aiming at the creation of a ‘controlled democracy,’ then a new force, not tried and tested before in politics, could soon be ruling the country,” Haider added. “Some political observers say the PTI, which is on good terms with both the judiciary and military, could be the political wing of that third force.”
Haider pointed out that judicial activism shows a power shift in the country where the military had called the shots for the past decades.
“It has been the army in the past that dismissed the civilian governments,” Haider said, “but now the judiciary is powerful enough to oust a sitting premier and his cabinet.”
Yet, the military continues to call the shots even though it now has let the judiciary take the lead in ousting civilian governments the military doesn’t like.
This happened when former Pakistani president, retired Gen. Pervez Musharraf, had fired the country’s top judge, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary, and had declared martial law.
Ultimately, sources say, the military will have the last say, using the judiciary as its instrument.
The concern is that the military still regards India as Pakistan’s chief enemy and has control and influence over more than 30 terrorist groups which could act as proxies for the military, as now is occurring in the disputed area of India-administered Kashmir which has a Muslim majority population.
As a result of the latest attacks by Pakistani terrorist groups in Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may be reconsidering diplomatic ties with Pakistan.
Such a development could upset U.S. strategy for the region, since relations between Pakistan and the U.S. already are approaching the breaking point.
Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about critical developments around the globe with Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by the founder of WND.
For the complete report and full immediate access to Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, subscribe now.
Read more at Military coup feared coming in Pakistan
