News
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Iftikhar a ‘highly politicised figure’: WSJ
* Editorial says Nawaz always favoured dialogue over military action against militants
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: A leading American newspaper on Wednesday accused Nawaz Sharif of collaborating with the PPP out of expediency and not because there was a meeting of the minds between the two. It also called the sacked chief justice a “highly politicised figure”. In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said that while Sharif says he does not want to topple the government, “he probably won’t, for now”. The PPP, on the other hand, is drawing support from smaller parties to keep its ruling majority, but it cannot afford to let Sharif guide the debate on the country’s priorities. The PPP needs to make clear that without security, there will be no such thing as a democratic Pakistan. The newspaper pointed out that the priorities of the two major parties are different. It said the day Sharif’s party pulled out of the coalition, was the same day when the PPP government outlawed the Taliban and vowed to fight terror harder. “That’s all you need to know about the priorities of the two parties,” WSJ added. Dialogue: According to WSJ, Sharif has always favoured dialogue over military action against militants. After February elections, he agreed to support the PPP’s prime minister pick in exchange for control over Punjab. Both parties wanted to oust former president Pervez Musharraf. The editorial said, “Now that’s done, Mr Sharif is showing his true colours. He resigned from the governing coalition on Monday in protest over the treatment of judges fired by Mr Musharraf last year. Mr Sharif wants the judges – including [sacked] Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry – restored immediately, as the PPP promised in March. He says the government is backtracking. Mr Sharif is, in effect, setting himself up as a political martyr for democracy ... The PPP is worried most about the restoration of one judge: Mr Chaudhry.” WSJ said there are personal interests at work in Pakistan. It claimed the former chief justice harbours no love for Musharraf, and might take action to roll back the former president’s executive order that pardoned crimes of politicians, including Asif Ali Zardari. Sharif might also expect Chaudhry to clear away legal barriers for a third run at prime minister.
Courtesy DailyTimes