As he struggles to save his government, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani will address the nation on Sunday to “clarify” his position.
“The address is a way to win the confidence of the nation and tell them that the government is here to stay,” said a source close to the Prime Minister.
Mr Gilani’s address will be significant because the executive and judiciary are already at loggerheads to define their areas of authority. Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said on Friday the government will be committing “treason” if it tried to sack any judge.
The Chief Justice is among over 60 judges of the high courts and the Supreme Court who were sacked by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf after an unprecedented judiciary-executive row in 2007.
The judges were reinstated by the PPP-led government in 2009. The government is thinking of withdrawing the notification of their reinstatement if the situation does not improve. Prime Minister Gilani has, however, denied any such move.
Mr Gilani called on President Asif Ali Zardari late Friday night after the Supreme Court delivered an order regarding stopping constitutional and executive heads from taking measures against the judiciary.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gilani’s office denied any meeting between the PM and the Pakistan Army Chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani. A PM House spokesman said, “General Kayani did not call on PM Gilani before the PM’s departure for Lahore.” He said that instead of meeting Gen. Kayani, “the Premier held a meeting President Zardari before leaving for Lahore”.
The spokesman clarified the meeting did not take place among “the troika (the President, the PM and Gen. Kayani)”. A one-on-one meeting occurred between Mr Gilani and Mr Zardari. “And there was no Army Chief at the meeting,” the spokesman said.
The Supreme Court’s order of Friday has bound all state functionaries, whether civilian or military, including the Army Chief, to ensure that no action is taken by any authority regarding the withdrawal of the executive order issued in March 2009 for the restoration of judges. The government seemed intent on misleading the court by not responding in writing to the directions of the judges, instead issuing a press statement of no legal value.
This reflects that the government stood by the advice rendered to it, that the PM could withdraw the notification of the judges’ restoration. Otherwise, it should have shown no reluctance in giving an assurance in writing to the Supreme Court that it did not intend to take any such step.
The order, on the one hand, restrains all constitutional and administrative authorities from withdrawing the executive order, which has already lost it value and, on the other hand, directs and expects all state functionaries and administrative heads to ensure that no one violates the apex court’s order.