www.sfgate.com
A political crisis gripping Pakistan could take a decisive turn today when its embattled government appears before the Supreme Court, which is ordering it to reopen a stalled graft probe against the president or face dismissal.
The crisis comes at a time of continuing strikes by presumed religious extremists who want to install a hard-line Islamist government in the nuclear-armed nation. On Sunday, a bomb blast in eastern Pakistan killed 14 people in a Shiite religious procession.
The court hearing represents one front in what amounts to an assault on the government by the powerful military, opposition politicians and the Supreme Court. The showdown has all but paralyzed decision making, and threatens fresh turmoil just as the United States wants Islamabad's help in negotiating an end to the war with the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.
Tensions spiked over an unsigned memo delivered to Washington last year offering the United States a raft of favorable policies in exchange for its help in thwarting a supposed army coup. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani criticized the army for cooperating with a Supreme Court probe into the affair, and has said the standoff is nothing less than a choice between "democracy and dictatorship."
Gilani's comments followed a warning from the generals - who were infuriated by the memo - of possible "grievous consequences" ahead.
Against this backdrop, the Supreme Court has been pressing for investigations into allegations of corruption against President Asif Ali Zardari dating back to before his time in office. He and other leading politicians had been protected by a politically inspired amnesty agreed to in 2008 that the court struck down in 2009, leaving him vulnerable.
Last week, the court threatened to dismiss Zardari and Gilani if they continue to ignore its demands. It ordered government representatives to appear in court today to explain what they planned to do.
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