Lack of proof halts Pakistan PM arrest
2013-01-17 10:56
Islamabad - The head of Pakistan's anti-corruption watchdog told the Supreme
Court on Thursday he did not yet have enough evidence to move against the prime
minister and 15 others on accusations of graft.
The chief justice ordered that all those accused of corruption in power
projects dating back to 2010 be arrested and ordered the chairperson of the
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to update the court on why that had not
happened.
His order on Tuesday, coming as a populist cleric led tens of thousands of
protesters outside parliament demanding that the government resign, sparked
panic about an alleged judiciary-military plot to derail elections due by
mid-May.
The rally and the court order has fanned instability in the nuclear-armed
country as it edges towards what would be the first democratic transition of power
between two civilian governments at the upcoming elections.
Problems
The economy is struggling, Taliban and other violence is at a high, the
rupee is sinking, there is an appalling energy crisis and fledgling peace gains
with India appear in jeopardy following five cross-border killings in a week.
NAB chairperson Fasih Bokhari told Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry
that the investigations into the 2010 power projects were not ready, saying it
takes time to find evidence to prosecute those allegedly involved.
Chaudhry dismissed NAB's report as unsatisfactory and ordered Bokhari to
report back 15 minutes later with the case files so that the court could itself
point out evidence that could form the basis of a prosecution.
In March 2012, the court ordered legal proceedings against Raja, who at the
time was a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari and was water and power
minister at the time the power projects were set up.
But on Thursday, a defiant NAB told the Supreme Court it was a
constitutional court and therefore was not able to investigate the case.
"Our mandate is to ensure the judgment is implemented. We have based
the entire judgment on documentary evidence," hit back Chaudhry.
"There may be some persons who consider themselves to be above the law.
I want to tell you no-one is above law. Why your machinery is not moving
against the persons concerned, what is the hurdle?" he added.
Rally
On Thursday, an estimated 25 000 people led by populist cleric Tahir-ul
Qadri moved into the fifth day of what is the largest rally in the capital
since the current government took office in 2008.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik threatened overnight to disperse the crowd,
but President Asif Ali Zardari quickly intervened to stop authorities from
using force.
A decision by the main opposition parties not to join Qadri but instead call
on the government to set an immediate timetable for elections, threatens to
isolate the cleric, but on Thursday his supporters appeared defiant.
"I hope the administration will not take any action against unarmed and
highly disciplined protestors but if they commit such a blunder, we will
retaliate with full force at our disposal," said protester Muhammad Arif.
Disband
The government says parliament will disband in mid-March to make way for a
caretaker government and elections within 60 days, sometime in early May but no
precise date has been set.
Qadri wants parliament dissolved now and a caretaker government set up in
consultation with the military and judiciary to implement key reforms such as
setting up a new election commission and banning corrupt candidates.
Qadri's sudden - and apparently well-financed - emergence after years in
Canada has been criticised as a ploy by sections of the establishment,
particularly the armed forces, to delay the elections and sow political chaos.
While critics dismiss Qadri's supporters as a rent-a-crowd, many of Qadri's
supporters articulate real concerns about Pakistan's problems, digging in for
the long-haul, with supplies of food, water and mattresses and blankets.
- SAPA
