Islamabad: The replay of events, with the Supreme Court of Pakistan giving the new Prime Minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, time till July 25 to write the letter to the Swiss authorities, seeking the reopening of graft cases dating back to the 1990s against President Asif Ali Zardari and his late wife Benazir Bhutto is the last thing that an ‘unstable’ Pakistan needs right now, an editorial has said.
According to The Express Tribune, this was the same issue that resulted in the conviction and subsequent disqualification of the former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, and the nation cannot simply afford to have a replay of events, but rather needs a period of calm.
Meanwhile, legal experts continue to question the new law passed by parliament, protecting office-bearers against contempt proceedings, many of which appear to believe that it will eventually be struck down, the editorial said. However, the editorial revealed, that beyond the legalities, the issue is really not quite so relevant, as the Constitution grants immunity to the president; therefore, the Swiss authorities have already said that no action will be possible on their part.
Given these circumstances, it seems to appear that if the future of the country is more important than an official request typed out on letter-headed paper, then what are the compulsions that are driving the matter on and on, it asked.
The editorial concluded that Pakistan needs to think about the problem with an open mind at this point in time and logic must dictate what happens next, with the interests of the country and its nascent democracy put above everything, else the nation would be destined for more trouble and even greater chaos in the weeks ahead.
ANI
First Published: Saturday, July 14, 2012, 22:04