#PanamaVerdict #Pakistan - Goodbye, Nawaz

Cyril Almeida

THE ducks were in a row. They’ve been dragged, kicked, shot and used to beat Nawaz over the head. It has not been pretty. Hell, it couldn’t have been uglier.

So, now what?

Attack the court, blame the boys, curse fate and the stars, it doesn’t really matter. Nawaz is gone and he isn’t coming back. There’s no precedent for unwinding a Supreme Court judgement during a democratic spell and there won’t be.

Nawaz is gone.

The judgement itself is confounding, appalling in argument and scope. It is, quite nakedly, a decision in search of a reason. Why did it happen? Eventually we’ll figure it out. This isn’t a place known for keeping its secrets long.

How did it happen? The Sharifs’ bumbling defence made it possible, giving the court the weapons it needed to bring the hammer down.

But the verdict is a bullseye and the verdict will stick because it is one thing above all else: popular. Popular with the people.

And there lies the vulnerability of Nawaz.

A judgement knocking out a prime minister who was popular enough to be the favourite for re-election is more popular with the people than the prime minster who has been ousted. How that has come to be is worth examining because there are lessons in it for the practice of politics here. A judgement knocking out a PM who was popular enough to be the favourite for re-election is more popular with the people than the PM who has been ousted.

Hating politicians is as old as politics. In Pakistan, there’s an added edge: the urban, middle-class, educated cohort that sneers at all things politics and wears its dislike of politicians with pride.

If it weren’t for the scum, the self-serving, corrupt politicians, hoodwinking the poor and the helpless, Pakistan would be a decent place to live in with good jobs and fair opportunity – the logic is as self-evident as the conviction real. No politician can really hope to fight that. It is the natural support base of the anti-democrats and the best a politician can hope for is his fate to never be in their hands. But as the beast was fed, as the anger of that cohort was stoked and manipulated in the wake of Panama, Nawaz made the mistake of ignoring it. A segment of the population that was never going to love Nawaz or any politician of his ilk, its billowing rage ought to have had alarms ringing in the PML-N.

But Nawaz didn’t pay attention and soon enough he was reduced to a public caricature: corrupt, dynastic and out of touch. From there, he was one big, fat, easy target.

Maybe the court would have done him in anyway. Maybe the boys’ disdain had made a third exit inevitable.

But it’s a heck of a lot easier to plunge the knife in when a particular swath of the population is whipped up into a frenzy — the urban, middle-class, educated, TV-watching, social-media-consuming cohort.

From a politician’s perspective, it can seem terribly unfair. Nawaz, after all, had protected his base impressively enough to have installed himself as the favourite for consecutive terms.

Why should he, or any other politician, have to pander to another group outside his base that at best will tolerate him and at worst will regard him with unbridled hate?

But they already know the answer: the urban, middle-class, educated cohort is a potential ally of other institutions. The rage of those people can become the institutional platform for terrible things to happen to you, the politician.

Keeping that cohort onside may be the difference between continuity and decapitation. So could Nawaz have done anything differently? The hindsight game is easy, but there were some possibilities.

A shake-up of his team, a reshuffle of the cabinet, a nod to the governance priorities of the angry cohort — things to slow down the caricature of the corrupt, dynastic, out-of-touch leader ballooning out of control. Because Nawaz didn’t do any of that or anything at all, we have to ask: are his politics anachronistic? Is he frozen in time? On those parallel tracks that politicians here must try and survive, the record suggests he is. Megawatts and roads appeal to the N-League base, but leave the other cohort cold.

The metrobus could have bridged the gap, but it was successfully mired in corruption allegations and lost much of its sheen. The familiar faces that he surrounded himself with made the base comfortable, but angered the other cohort because they symbolise the past.

Maryam could have been the bridge to the other side, but the succession was approached like a coronation. To win the other cohort’s grudging respect, she needed to look like she was working her way to the top — instead a palace-bred princess appeared. And then there was the disregard for institutions, democratic and in the executive, and the centralisation of power. It didn’t bother the N-League’s base, but for the angry cohort it symbolised corruption at the heart of the Sharif empire.

Why must everyone be their slave, why can’t they just let people work honourably and with dignity? The more Nawaz was Nawaz, the more he thought he was doing right by his base, the angrier it made the group whose anger he did not understand and could not afford.

Busy practising an anachronistic politics, the caricature of a corrupt, dynastic, out-of-touch ruler grew and grew until it was too late.

Now, the country has a judgement that is more popular than a prime minister who may have been popular enough to win re-election. Nawaz is gone, but the others should pay heed: practice a modern politics or suffer the same fate as the mightiest who has fallen.

Pakistan - Terror in the heart of Lahore

By Mashaal Gauhar

Though army counter-terrorism operations Zarb-e-Azb and more recently Radd-ul-Fassad have significantly weakened the TTP, the recent attack in Lahore shows that the group is still capable of causing serious harm through the proliferation of offshoots and With over 26 people dead and 30 injured, Lahore’s recent suicide attack is the latest in a long list of militant assaults on the capital of Punjab. In February, a suicide blast near Punjab Assembly left 13 people dead and 70 others wounded. Last year’s terrorist attack in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park killed 72 people and left hundreds injured.

What is new about this attack is that investigators have concluded that it was carried out by the Taliban Special Group (TSG), a newly formed wing of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) comprising highly trained suicide attackers.

With a mission to destabilise the state and implement their own brand of shariah law, TTP attacks have a discernible pattern of focusing on security forces, educational institutions, minorities and sacred places of worship. This latest assault is believed to have targeted the police. Of the 26 killed in the attack, nine were policemen.

Though army counter-terrorism operations Zarb-e-Azb and more recently Radd-ul-Fassad have significantly weakened the TTP, the recent attack in Lahore shows that the group is still capable of causing serious harm through the proliferation of offshoots and splinter groups.

The TTP’s systematic use of suicidal warfare has proven particularly problematic. Inexpensive and requiring low levels of technology, human bombs are the preferred weapon of choice for groups like the TTP. “It is an alternative technology — the systematic mechanisation of human beings — that confers upon militant groups many of the same capabilities of the sophisticated weapon systems of advanced states,” explains Jeffrey William Lewis and academic author of The Business of Martyrdom, A History of Suicide Bombing.

Strong military action is critical but cannot be the only solution. The formation of the new TSG wing indicates that insurgent groups can find ready adherents among the socially and economically marginalised segments of the society. This disturbing new development underscores the need to ensure that strong military action is supported by a long-term strategy centred on economic and social uplift to effectively eliminate the TTP and its affiliated groups.

Resources must be directed towards striking at the recruitment capabilities of these groups including a crackdown on militant propaganda, dismantling centres for radicalisation and closing down sources of terrorist financing. Additionally, the government must strengthen its institutions such as the police force and criminal justice system. It is hoped that the National Action Plan proposed by the government to root out terrorism can make progress towards achieving these goals.

Lahore’s magical past is beautifully rendered in the Sanskrit epic The Ramayana, which details how Prince Lava, son of Lord Rama and his beloved wife Sita, founded the city of Lahore. Indeed, the word ‘Lahore’ is derived from his name Suicidal warfare exacts a profound psychological toll on society. The damage on Pakistan’s society is all too evident: intolerance and violent prejudice in the name of religion abounds. Pakistan’s media must take a stand against hardline voices claiming to speak on behalf of Islam. The taking of an innocent life is among the gravest of sins and can never be justified. Any attempt to do so represents a violation of the very essence of the religion.

Government, media and civil society must ensure that militant organisations purportedly acting in the name of Islam are exposed for the ruthless mercenaries that they are. The tolerance and diversity that once flourished must be reclaimed as part of Pakistan’s identity. A city where Hindu, Sikh and Muslim empires flourished for centuries, Lahore’s rich heritage cultural heritage is a symbol of this diversity. Representing the second most populous city in the country after Karachi, Lahore is recognised as one of the oldest living cities in the world. Its primordial past can be seen and felt across the city from the pre-enlightenment statue of ‘Fasting Buddha’ in Lahore’s National Museum to the ancient Old City.

Lahore’s magical past is beautifully rendered in the Sanskrit epic The Ramayana which details how Prince Lava, son of Lord Rama and his beloved wife Sita, founded the city of Lahore. Hence the word ‘Lahore’ is derived from his name. Today, the temple at Lahore Fort stands as an enduring tribute to Prince Lava. Home to Pakistan’s great mystics like Madho Lal Hussain and Bulleh Shah, Lahore traditions of poetry and art continues to flourish. Though battered by this recent assault, Lahore’s spirit remains unassailable

Unemployment – An acute problem of Pakistan

By: Farah Jamil

‘I have a degree but not job because I don’t have reference better known as ‘safarish’ – is the most common line said by every single individual of our country as a considerable proportion of our youth is currently unemployed. Almost every youngster in Pakistan endorses the fact that the country is plagued by sheer unemployment.

In today’s time, trying to attain and maintain a proper status in the corporate jungle is not an easy task at all. Our youth is immensely inclined towards the government jobs and the main reason behind it is the lack of accountability.

Many Employers give preference to the experienced candidates rather than the freshers – this is another reason that leads to unemployment.

To analyze the current state of unemployment, we managed to speak to few youngsters and experienced professionals also – took their opinion regarding the youth unemployment in Pakistan.

Speaking to Samaa, a fresh graduate of Mass communication Saad Khan– currently struggling to get hired in media organization – shared his views, “Being a graduate of Mass communication from a public sector university,  I have to struggle a lot even to seek an ‘unpaid internship’. First reason which is quite visible is those universities are producing peoples, who have no skills to stand on professional platforms, resulting as – their in born talent has also being rusted.”

While describing the main reasons of unemployment in our country, Khan said, ‘Pakistan is full on natural and productive resources but we have no planning of how to utilize it?’

‘Population growth also leads to raise in unemployment, government sector institutes like PIA are being privatized and forthcoming generations have no idea and guidelines of career counseling’, he added.

Digital marketing lead/ digital strategist Syed Waqas Saghir ,after spending 8 years in the relevant field ,described the key reasons of unemployment in Pakistan. Here is what he said, “I truly believe the major reason behind Unemployment in Pakistan is no career counseling where most of them start studying having no clear vision of what to study and which field should be perfect for him/ her, besides that, action plan and personal development plan is the crucial part where universities should  focus on instead of only focusing on courses.”

Saghir talked about the growth of human resource departments of different organizations and said, “Pakistan’s Recruitment industry is very unprofessional to some extent where they don’t hire the right person for the right job.”

He went on to say, “Employers in Pakistan should use the strategy of MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator) to analyze the candidate during hiring process”.

“MBTI is the most popular and respected personality type tools in the world. It is an easy to understand framework which helps to build relationships and teams”, he suggested.

I must say that the present state of unemployment is purely caused by “safarish” and it is the main reason behind unemployment as the deserving candidates do not get jobs while the non-deserving ones sit there. The parchi-system in every single organization should come to an end at its earliest.

The government should also take some serious steps to overcome this problem. It is necessary for the prosperity and progress of every nation.

Pakistan - My 15 years of struggle, gone to waste: Mukhtar Mai

On July 16, a young man named Umar Wawda allegedly kidnapped and raped a 12-year-old girl in Multan. The case was brought before a local panchaiyat [village council] to preside over. Two days later, the council elders ordered the complainant to rape the 16-year-old sister of the accused in return. The first information report of both incidents was registered on July 20. Police have till now arrested 20 people. The accused are still at large.

“Here we are again talking about another Mukhtar Mai”

I am not surprised. It is a norm for panchaiyats and jirgas to penalize a woman for a man’s crime. They call it 'justice.' Men in Pakistan, guilty men, go unpunished. Women, innocent women, get punished.

People in Pakistan, and elsewhere, often ask me why do jirgas still exist in the country? I tell them that they exist to remind Pakistanis that their legal system has failed.

It is not easy for a poor man or a woman to get a police complaint registered. Then, even if you do get one registered, you will be confronted with a long-winded process of going to courts year after year. A poor person cannot afford to go through this both financially and mentally. In the end he approaches a jirga for the speedy resolution of his dispute.

Unfortunately, these men who sit on these councils are never fair to women. It does not matter to them that the only crime committed by a woman is that she is unfortunately related to a criminal.

Now, if even a single man had been punished for what happened to me in 2002, we might not be here today. But here we are again, talking about another Mukhtar Mai.

In the last few years, I have met many rape survivors. And when I meet them I do not ask them any questions. Why should they relive that horrible and devastating moment? So, instead, I sit with them, sometimes quietly. Then, I tell them I went through what they did but I am still alive today. I am, maybe, stronger and they will be too.

When I heard about this incident in Multan, my blood pressure shot up. I couldn't stop thinking about it. My 15 years of struggle and effort to highlight this injustice has gone to waste. Nothing I said or did was of any use.

The media will continue to raise the issues. The activists will continue to raise their voices. But unless the courts set a precedent and punish these men and their facilitators, not much will change.

Those in power, those in courts, those in police stations do not know what it is like for a woman to try to live a life after she has been assaulted. From then on, she is neither alive, nor dead. She is neither accepted by society, nor by her family.

One of the girls is 12 and the other is 16. If this isn't barbarism, then I don’t know what is.

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Pakistan - CTD UNEARTHS NEW DANGEROUS NARRATIVE OF TAKFIRI MILITANTS THAT NEEDS TO BE COUNTERED

Police investigators probing the targeted killing of law enforcers on Thursday claimed to have detected an emerging militant group’s communication based on a different but dangerous narrative. It suggested that the group would target only the officials of state institutions and regretted the deaths of “civilians” in collateral damage vowing to “pay compensation to the families of such victims”. But, people are aware of the fact that terrorists are ferocious people and their crocodile’s tears would not win them public sympathy although
“This is a different and dangerous narrative of the new militant [groups] and needs to be countered aggressively,” said Additional IG Dr Sanaullah Abbasi, heading the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of police in Sindh.

Militants ‘regret’ targeting civilians
Dr Abbasi believed that the attacks on the police vans in New Town, SITE and Korangi as well as the attack on traffic constables in Gulshan were linked due to their common pattern.
A new group, Ansarul Sharia Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for most of these incidents.
“Ansarul Sharia Pakistan is a reality and we believe that it is involved in recent wave of terror in the metropolis,” said the CTD chief.
The CTD assessment suggested that this group seemed to be far more professional, combat trained and media savvy, indicating a higher level of education.
He said that mobile patrols and traffic police were being targeted as they represented the softest targets for the militant group that has declared it would only target law enforcers and armed forces.
The CTD chief said the increase in frequency of attacks in the past month indicated that this group might have ‘additional resources’, allowing it to step up attacks.
“Perhaps the number of weapons that the group has also increased, as ballistic test indicates that there are at least two 9mm pistols and one TT pistol at their disposal.
“The fact that one of the assailants also took away MP-5 [rifle] from traffic constables seems to indicate that the group may be stockpiling weapons for a large-scale attack,” apprehended the CTD chief.
Following the recent attacks on policemen, it was decided that besides the deployment of Rapid Response Force, the Rangers and police would conduct joint patrolling and raids.
“There are apprehensions that the security threat posed by this group may continue until this outfit is eliminated.”
It was decided that profiling of policemen would be done and only young officers would be deployed in the field while aged personnel would be assigned desk jobs, said the CTD head.
He said it was also decided that police patrol and deployment would be made in an unpredictable manner, taking into consideration the pattern of attacks on police in recent months. The police van attacked in New Town had been stationed there for the past six months, he explained. “Now there will be an element of surprise in the patrolling of police,” he said.
Dr Abbasi said that the recent incidents of terrorism were not Karachi-specific, as policemen were also attacked in Lahore where 10 personnel were killed in the recent blast.
Besides, he added, it was also not area-specific in the city as the militants targeted police personnel wherever they found them as ‘soft targets’.
The CTD chief said that in the traffic police attack case, they followed the SOPs as they were wearing bulletproof jackets owing to which the life of one traffic policeman was saved.
“It is unfortunate that there were many onlookers due to rush hour but nobody tried to help the police,” said Dr Abbasi. He said any car could have hit the armed motorcyclists. With the people’s help, the attackers could have been arrested and their group might have been busted, he added.

http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/pakistan/item/29779-ctd-unearths-new-dangerous-narrative-of-takfiri-militants-that-needs-to-be-countered

Journalist who broke Panama Papers story terms SC decision ‘historic’

Bastian Obermayer, the German Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who broke the Panama Papers story, termed the decision by the Supreme Court of Pakistan as ‘historic’ on Friday.

Ever since the Sharif family’s name surfaced in the Panama Papers scandal last year, the entire world has followed the Pakistani premier’s disqualification case with interest.

After the apex court on Friday disqualified Sharif from holding the prime minister’s office, German journalist Bastian Obermayer who had broken the Panama Papers news last year, termed the decision as a historic one.

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Historic: After Iceland the second prime minister - Navaz Sharif - has to leave office because of #panamapapers. Verdict #Pakistan @ICIJorg

3:12 AM - Jul 28, 2017

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Unanimous verdict. That's a message... https://twitter.com/umarcheema1/status/890833104688082944 …

3:22 AM - Jul 28, 2017

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As news broke of the Supreme Court’s verdict, supporters of rival political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf took to the streets and distributed sweets and danced to the beat of drums.

Bilawal hails Supreme Court verdict against Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan People's Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict that disqualified Nawaz Sharif as prime minister of the country and said that it is incumbent upon all the political parties to accept the decision.

When a reporter told him that there was an impression  Imran Khan would take the credit for the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif as PPP was reluctant to press the N-League in the wake of Panama Papers case, Bilawal Bhutto said his party had raised the issue just a day after Panama Papers leak surfaced on April 4, but didn't go to Supreme Court due to some past experiences. "We had our own reasons". 

"Shaheed Benazir Bhutto said Nawaz Sharif may succeed in conspiring against me, but one day he will cry and remember me and my father, he said quoting his mother late Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan.

He expressed the hope that the Supreme Court verdict would help deter corruption in high offices.

Asked whether PPP would have no qualms about the Article 62, 63 of the Constitution which were enshrined by none other than General Ziaul Haq and became bases for Nawaz Sharif's disqualification, Bilawal Bhutto said the PPP had its reservations about the articles but the decision was delivered by the Supreme Court and had to be accepted.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/

Pakistan - Panama judgement

Today is set to be a historic day for the judiciary and politics in Pakistan. Prime ministers have been removed before and prime ministers have survived, but none have been subjected to the kind of public and mostly transparent scrutiny that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family have undergone.

Whether Mr Sharif is determined to be unfit for public office, his case is referred to the accountability courts for trial or the Supreme Court decides on some other course of action, an undeniably welcome precedent has already been set: a sitting prime minister and his family have been required to explain the sources of their income and wealth.

In a country where public officials, elected and unelected, routinely and brazenly live beyond their known and legal sources of income and wealth, the Panama Papers case may be the beginning of a new era of public disclosure and accountability. The Pakistani people deserve a better, more transparent and more accountable leadership in all state institutions.

With the political stakes so high, it is inevitable that there will be a great deal of disappointment today in one camp or the other. What is important is for the Supreme Court judgement to be respected and for its orders to be promptly obeyed.

Long after today, and much after Mr Sharif exits the political landscape, the country will need an independent judiciary to help keep the democratic process within the ambit of the law and the Constitution. At times, both the petitioners and the respondents in the Panama Papers case have drifted perilously close to politicising the court and bringing the institutions of democracy into disrepute.

The Supreme Court may have demonstrated undue restraint towards the political circus that threatened to engulf it, but the court has an opportunity to further the cause of accountability and strengthen the democratic project by delivering a well-reasoned, well-argued judgement. By doing so, it will rightly put the onus on Pakistan’s political leadership to respond with a democratic maturity to the verdict and accept it as part of a continuing process to strengthen democracy.

Finally, the political class itself must introspect after this episode. While robust political competition is important to democracy, the PML-N and PTI have allowed their rivalry to drag the country backwards. The spectre of the 1990s has returned and there is a possibility that between the determination of the Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N to remain in power come what may and that of the Imran Khan-led PTI to ascend to power no matter what, the democratic project itself may unravel.

Democracy will not be threatened merely by the exit of Mr Sharif, nor will it be boosted automatically by the triumphant elevation of Mr Khan. The two leaders must urgently learn a humility that neither has seemed capable of so far.

Video - Bilawal Bhutto's Press Conference - Jul 28, 2017

'Conspiracy': Journalist who revealed Panama Papers terms Saad Rafique's remarks as ‘nonsense’

Bastian Obermayer, the German investigative journalist, who is one of the reporters who unearthed the Panama Papers scandal, has termed Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique’s recent remarks on the issue as ‘nonsense’.

“With all due respect: this is nonsense. PM of Iceland resigned, so did ministers, 100+ Panama Papers investigations worldwide & more to come,” the reporter, who co-authored “Panama Papers: The Panama Papers: Breaking the Story of How the Rich and Powerful Hide Their Money”, tweeted on Monday.

His statement came in response to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader’s claim in which he termed the scandal was nothing but a “conspiracy against Pakistan”. PML-N ministers go all guns blazing at ‘conspirators’

“After their sit-ins and allegations of rigging failed, our opponents brought up this Panama Leaks issue against us, which was not even acknowledged by Panama itself,” the minister told party workers in Lahore on Sunday. Rafique claimed that nothing happened to leaders of other countries whose name appeared in the leaks. This is not the first time Obermayer has responded to a ruling party leader for disparaging the huge collections of classified documents, which revealed names of over 200 Pakistanis, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s children, who own offshore companies in international tax havens.

International journalists slam Maryam Nawaz for calling Panama Papers ‘crap’ In May this year, he responded to PM’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz, who called the exposé a ‘crap’, saying it had been trashed in the rest of the world. “Journalism isn’t about bringing down a government. It’s about telling the truth. Like it or not. (& Panama Papers isn’t only about Pakistan, btw),” Obermayer had responded.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1449783/conspiracy-journalist-revealed-panama-papers-terms-saad-rafiques-remarks-nonsense/

نواز شریف تر نا اهل ګرځول کېدو وروسته له وزیراعظمۍ لرې شو

د پاکستان سپریم کورټ د پاناما اسنادو په مقدمه کې د ملک وزیراعظم نواز شریف نا اهل ګرځولی دی. دا پرېکړه د جسټس اعجاز افضل خان په مشرۍ کې د سپریم کورټ پینځه کسیزې جرګګۍ نن ۱۲ بجې په اسلام اباد کې واوروله.

د وزیر اعظم دفتر ویلي چې نواز شریف د وزیراعظمۍ له چوکۍ لرې شوی چې ورسره د پاکستان وفاقي کابینه تحلیل شوې ده.

دا له هغه وروسته ده چې د پاکستان سپریم کورټ د پاناما اسنادو په مقدمه کې د ملک وزیراعظم نواز شریف نا اهل ګرځولی دی.

د پاکستان سپریم کورټ د د پاناما اسنادو په مقدمه کې د ملک وزیراعظم نواز شریف نا اهل ګرځولی دی.

دا پرېکړه د جسټس اعجاز افضل خان په مشرۍ کې د سپریم کورټ پینځه کسیزې جرګګۍ نن ۱۲ بجې په اسلام اباد کې واوروله.

د فیصلې تر مخه نوازشریف د آین په دوه شپیتمه او درې شپیتمه ماده پوره نه دي نو له دې کبله د خپلې چوکۍ لپاره نااهله ګرځول شوی دی.

سپریم کورټ د پاکستان د انتخاباتو کمېشن ته امر کړی دی چې په سم دستي توګه د نواز شریف د قومي اسمبلۍ غړیتوب ختم کړي.

عدالت په پاکستان کې د احتساب قومي ادارې – نشنل اکاونټېبلیټي بېرو – ته امر کړی چې به شپږو اونیو کې مقدمه درج کړي.

د عدالت له خوا په اورول شوې لنډه پرېکړه کې ویل شوي چې په نېب کې به د درج کېدونکې مقدمې تر اثر لاندې د نواز شریف تر څنګ د هغه دوه زامن حسن نواز ، حسېن نواز او د هغه لور مریم نواز هم راځي.

د سپریم کورټ په ننۍ پرېکړه کې د وزیراعظم نواز شریف تر څنګ د خزانې وفاقي وزیر اسحاق ډار هم نااهله ګرځول شوی دی.

د دې خبرې پخلی د پاکستان سرکاري ټلویژن او لویې څارنوالۍ یا د اټارني جنرل دفتر هم کړی دی.

دا له هغه وروسته ده چې سپریم کورټ د جولايي پر ۲۱ نېټه له هغه وروسته خپله پرېکړه خوندي کړې وه چې د دواړو غاړو د وکیلانو او ښکېلو کسانو بیانونه یې اورېدلي وو.

سپریم کورټ د پاناما اسنادو په اړه یوه ګډه پلټنیزه ډله جوړه کړې وه چې د روانې میاشت پر ۱۰مه یې خپل رپورټ عدالت ته وړاندې کړی وو.

په رپورټ کې د وزیراعظم نواز شریف او د هغه د کورنۍ شتمنۍ تر پوښتنو لاندې راغلې دي.

د دې رپورټ تر خپرېدو وروسته یو شمېر اپوزیشن ګوندونو له نواز شریف څخه د استعفا غوښتنه وکړه خو نوموړي انکار کړی وو.

نوموړي ویلي وو چې دی د ولس په ووټونو منتخب شوی دی نو ځکه د خپلې دندې تر پایه استعفا نه ورکوي.

غبرګون

د پاکستان مسلم لیګ نون ډلې مخکښې مریم اورنګزېب په اسلام اباد کې خبریالانو ته ویلي دا دریم ځل دی چې د ولس له خوا ټاکل شوی وزیراعظم لرې کېږي.

نوموړې ویلي چې دوی - واکمن مسلم لیک نواز ډله - به د سپریم کورټ د پرېکړې جاج اخلي او له هغه وروسته به خپله تګلاره جوړوي.

https://www.mashaalradio.com/a/28644570.html

#Pakistan - وزیراعظم تاحیات نااہل قرار، عہدے سے سبکدوش

Pakistan - Nawaz Sharif steps down as PM after Supreme Court verdict

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has resigned from his post following the verdict of the Supreme Court, a PML-N spokesman told Geo News.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered on Friday to disqualify Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Announcing their verdict in the Panama Papers case, all five judges ruled to send a reference against the premier, his three children and others to an accountability court.

The court ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file a reference against the accused in an accountability court in six weeks and directed for the trial to be wrapped up within six months. 

According to sources, Nawaz Sharif is chairing a meeting to decide on the appointment of a new premier. 

Sharif expressed sorrow over the Supreme Court’s decision, sources told Geo News.

Sharif is likely to make the decision to appoint a new prime minister after consulting with legal experts, sources added.

Earlier, legal aides, advisers and federal ministers were present at the PM House where Sharif heard the verdict of the Panama Papers case.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Governors of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also present in the meeting.

PML-N leaders — before the verdict’s announcement — stated that the government wants the Parliament to complete its tenure.

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif disqualified from office

By Euan McKirdy and Sophia Saifi

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been disqualified from office by the country's Supreme Court and will be required to step down.

The court ruled Sharif has been dishonest to parliament and to the judicial system, and is no longer deemed fit for the office of Prime Minister.

The panel of five judges announced their unanimous decision Friday afternoon, with the election commission ordered to issue a disqualification notice to Sharif. With the ruling, Sharif's Cabinet has also been dissolved.

Silence enveloped the courtroom as Justice Ejaz Afzal read out the judgment, and the opposition distributed candy following the verdict in celebration.

"Nawaz Sharif will accept the decision of the Supreme Court," Sharif's party, the PLMN said in a statement following the verdict.

"There has been an injustice against us. Nawaz Sharif will step down as premier of Pakistan despite reservations regarding the verdict."

He is expected to vacate the Prime Minister's residence by Friday evening.

Corruption probe

The panel had been investigating Sharif's alleged links to offshore accounts and overseas properties owned by three of his children.

The assets, which were not declared on the family's wealth statement, were revealed in the massive Panama Papers leak in April 2016.

Although Nawaz Sharif was not named in the Panama Papers, a joint investigation committee formed by the Supreme Court in April 2017 concluded in mid-July that their investigation revealed incriminating documents that pointed to the prime minister and his family's corruption.

The Panama Papers leak sparked mass protests in Pakistan and calls from opposition political groups for a panel to investigate him and his children over their alleged offshore accounts.

Looming election

General elections are scheduled to be held next April, which the PLMN is widely expected to win, despite today's ruling.

With the disqualification, Sharif cannot hold any parliamentary position, cannot become involved in election campaigns nor lead his party, the PLMN.

Today's verdict is the second Supreme Court ruling this year on Sharif. In April a five-judge panel formed by Pakistan's Supreme Court delivered a ruling ordering a new investigation over corruption allegations.

This is the first time in the country's history that a leader has been disqualified from office following a judicial process.

During his time in office there's been economic growth, a marked drop in terrorism and a bold foreign policy initiative which has led to strong ties with neighboring China and the formation of the strategically important China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Political heavyweight

Known as the "Lion of Punjab," the 68-year-old Sharif is one of Pakistan's leading industrialists and richest men, as well as being a fearsome political operative -- having served as prime minister twice before.

However, his long political career has been dogged with missteps and allegations of corruption, which already forced him to step down during his first time as prime minister, cutting his first term short after his family-owned business, Ittefaq Industries, was seen to grow tremendously during his tenure in office.

Re-elected in 1997, Sharif ordered Pakistan's first nuclear tests but a showdown with the nation's powerful military saw his second term end prematurely as well.

In 1999, Sharif fired then-army head Pervez Musharraf after a failed invasion of Kargil, in Indian-held Kashmir. But in a dramatic turnaround, Musharraf launched a coup and eventually had his former boss imprisoned on charges of hijacking for attempting to stop a plane carrying the general from landing.

Sharif was later sentenced to an additional 14-years in prison on corruption charges, but was released after six months when Riyadh brokered a deal to allow him to go into exile in Saudi Arabia.

In 2007, Sharif returned to his homeland after his Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) teamed up with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to force Musharraf out of office.

After some legal and constitutional wrangling Sharif was re-elected prime minister for a third time in 2013, amid accusations of rigging the elections.

From Panama to Pakistan

The latest and final nail in Sharif's political coffin is not of his own making, but rather the financial improprieties of his children.

While owning property in itself is not illegal, opposition parties have questioned if the money to buy them came from public funds.

And while Sharif was not personally named, his three adult children were linked to offshore companies that owned the London properties. One British Virgin Islands holding firm listed his daughter, Maryam as the sole shareholder.

A taskforce called the Joint Investigation Team was created in April by the Supreme Court since it was unable to independently determine the links to corruption. At the time Sharif pledged that if anything from the investigation proved corruption, he would step down.

Last November, Maryam tweeted images of a disclosure form claiming she was not the owner of the London property. However, the document, dated 2006, used a font -- Calibri -- that did not become widely available until the following year.