Some political analysts have predicted that Pakistan may end up becoming a single-party system, as key state institutions are busy cutting a swath through senior leaders of the country’s main opposition parties with corruption and money-laundering charges.
Analysts foresee a chaotic and messy political landscape for 2019 amid growing tension between Islamabad and Sindh province and reports the federal government is vying to destabilize the state government. Even if the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government survives a backlash from rival factions, the going will get tougher for the PM and his party in coming days, they claim.
The Imran Khan government appears to have begun a “political decriminalization process” to drive out many senior politicians on the other side of the political divide. If successful, this would leave the ground wide open for PTI to become the country’s single-largest party.
PTI already runs three of the country’s four provincial governments. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the party won a majority government while in Punjab and Balochistan they formed governments with the support of coalition partners.
Criminal cases
With criminal cases filed against leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the PTI has now started evaluating different options to move a no-confidence motion against the chief minister in the Sindh assembly, which has been a seat of power for the PPP since the early 1970s.
“They cannot make changes in the Sindh government, where the PPP enjoys a majority with over 90 members, while PTI and its allies have got 60 seats. The only option for the opposition is to make a forward bloc with help of the establishment to acquire the required numbers and undo the PPP government,” Faisal Karim Kundi, a former PPP deputy speaker in the national assembly and the party’s provincial general secretary, told Asia Times.
Kundi said the country had become a laboratory for the establishment to try different political theories. “They are now trying to install a presidential form of government in the country but the PPP will never compromise on the parliamentary democracy,” he claimed. The PTI was unaware of their own vulnerability in the center (Islamabad) and Punjab, he said. “A number of PTI parliamentarians are waiting in the wings to throw their weight behind PPP’s move if a no-trust motion is tabled in the parliament,” he asserted.
Major opposition parties have a similar view of the present stalemate but the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is a bit cautious of PPP’s “double-dealing” in the Senate and presidential elections.
“We could have formed our government in [Islamabad] and Punjab and bagged the speakership of the upper and lower houses had the PPP sided with PML-N,” PML-N senator Mushahid Ullah Khan claimed. But he said his party would uphold the democratic tradition and support the PPP in and outside the parliament if the latter approached the party’s leadership.
Huge money-laundering scam
The Khan government, meanwhile, has denied undertaking any extra-constitutional move to wreck the Sindh government.
“How can we destabilize a government that is enjoying a majority in the [Sindh state] assembly, unless of course when they themselves wanted a change,” Ejaz Chaudhry, an additional secretary-general of the PTI, hit back. He said there would be no compromise on corruption and the party would not ponder the consequences even if all opposition leaders involved in corrupt practices were sent to jail.
Top leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party have been incriminated in a massive money laundering scam, with the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) having unearthed $254 million worth of money-laundering through fake accounts from different parts of the country.
The startling disclosures have rocked the PPP and left its leadership susceptible to disqualification.
Meanwhile, senior leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz are also in hot water. Shahbaz Sharif, the PML-N president and leader of the opposition in National Assembly, is in custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), while his elder brother and former PM Nawaz Sharif has also been jailed for having offshore assets. Plus, a score of PML-N senior leaders are caught in the accountability process.
In recent money-laundering cases against PPP leaders, the Federal Investigation Authority initially found that over $300 million was laundered through 29 fake accounts, which they suspected involved kickbacks on the large government-funded communication and construction projects in Sindh province.
In September, the Supreme Court set up a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe alleged laundering of billions through fake bank accounts in connivance with bankers, senior bureaucrats and land builders.
A report by the team presented in the Supreme Court on Monday identified former president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, former chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Bahria Town builder Malik Riaz and a host of prominent bankers, industrialists and contractors as main beneficiaries of the scam.
The JIT probe revealed around 300 accounts, with 10,000 different transactions, involving over 600 individuals and 220 private companies allegedly used to siphon off 100 billion rupees (US$725 million) in a highly sophisticated money-laundering technique.
“There’s an effort underway to decimate the main opposition political parties by driving an ‘anti-corruption campaign’ and the move is aimed at paving the way for one-party rule in the country,” Afrasiab Khattak, a left-wing intellectual and political analyst, claimed to Asia Times.
Exit control list dispute
Khattak said the media trial of political opponents and bid to dislodge a democratically elected state government would be counter-productive for the national government. He claimed the JIT report had no legal significance.
The government put the names of 172 suspects on the country’s exit control list without waiting for an order from the higher court.
However, the Supreme Court has taken a stern view of the PTI’s decision to put the names of 172 suspects referred to in the JIT report on the Exit Control List and asked the government to review the list, saying it was just a report and the court was yet to review it.
Shakil is an idiot to protect corrupt politicians. Imran Khan is doing the right thing and was elected on his promise to tackle corruption.
Shakil is an idiot to protect corrupt politicians. Imran Khan is doing the right thing and was elected on his promise to tackle corruption.
Are you crazy Shakil or do you have some ulterior motives here?Corruption done by Zardari mafia is on such a mega scale that there’s no precedent of such organised, comprehensive money laundering in the history of the world. They literally smuggled planes and boats full of corruption money from bribes , kickbacks, commissions and steal from the state coffers. And now that they are being brought to books, you call it elimination of opposition. Well if opposition is synonymous with corruption then by God people of Pakistan would love to see it eliminated for ever.
Are you crazy Shakil or do you have some ulterior motives here?Corruption done by Zardari mafia is on such a mega scale that there’s no precedent of such organised, comprehensive money laundering in the history of the world. They literally smuggled planes and boats full of corruption money from bribes , kickbacks, commissions and steal from the state coffers. And now that they are being brought to books, you call it elimination of opposition. Well if opposition is synonymous with corruption then by God people of Pakistan would love to see it eliminated for ever.
Great Imran Khan is cracking down on corruption and doubious deals. This increases revenues and make investments in Pakistan more attractive for investors.
Take a look on the Telenor operations in Pakistan too. It looks "fishy". NATO/Norwegian Telenor should for national security reasons not operate important communications infrastructure. Pakistan and Bangladesh should do like Russia and India and kick Telenor out. Norway is part of the extended "Five eyes" intelligence network and sharing intelligence with the US (Now in bed with India) and many other nations.
Why should Pakistan give the hefty profits to the Norwegian super rich owners?
Great Imran Khan is cracking down on corruption and doubious deals. This increases revenues and make investments in Pakistan more attractive for investors.
Take a look on the Telenor operations in Pakistan too. It looks "fishy". NATO/Norwegian Telenor should for national security reasons not operate important communications infrastructure. Pakistan and Bangladesh should do like Russia and India and kick Telenor out. Norway is part of the extended "Five eyes" intelligence network and sharing intelligence with the US (Now in bed with India) and many other nations.
Why should Pakistan give the hefty profits to the Norwegian super rich owners?
Abbas sahb ASA…….IMO Iran ko chahiye in sawdi ko pakarr kar kuttay key tarha maray. The time is near for the demise of these US backed sawdi terrorists. Boht badmashian kar leen hain inhon nay. Their time is up!
Abbas sahb ASA…….IMO Iran ko chahiye in sawdi ko pakarr kar kuttay key tarha maray. The time is near for the demise of these US backed sawdi terrorists. Boht badmashian kar leen hain inhon nay. Their time is up!
Winston Medved aka yashad rizvi, its east Turkestan you uneducated joker. Turkmenistan is already an existing CIS country. Geopolitically uneducated are you?
Winston Medved aka yashad rizvi, its east Turkestan you uneducated joker. Turkmenistan is already an existing CIS country. Geopolitically uneducated are you?
There is nothing new under the sun. This has been happening among the Muslims for 1,400 years and will continue for another 1,400 no less.
Ever since our illustrious Prophet passed away in 632 that Muslims went at each others’ throats. The "Succession" issue has bled Muslims since then.
Within 25 years of his death "The Mother of the Believers" Ayesha went to war against "The Kaliph of Muslims" Ali. 100,000 lost their lives in the "Battle of the Camel". As they were all Muslims they must ALL have gone paradise.
A few years later "The Amir of Believers" Muawiya sent his men against "The Kaliph of Muslims" Ali. Another 70,000 were sent to paradise by Muslims themselves. What a beautiful way to achieve heaven?
It never ends Upon election every Muslim Kaliph or King since then sent his siblings (and their followers) packing to grave. In Levant, in Turkey, in India fratricide was the norm. Sometimes, the son even did away his father, uncles and aunts.
And Muslims coveted each others’ lands too. Mughals raided Muslim Indian king Lodhi. Today an MBS squeezes all his rivals to fill his coffers, Erdogan murders and exiles the followers of Gulen.
Pakistan is no different. Imran Khan is destroying both the Muslim Leage and People’s Party. Once that is achieved he will do what Muslim rulers have always done – milk the populace unhindered. But what goes around comes around. In a few years when the Pak Opposition regroups, Imran Khan may very well be spending his old age in a dark cell.
Nothing new under the sun folks. We have seen this movie before.
There is nothing new under the sun. This has been happening among the Muslims for 1,400 years and will continue for another 1,400 no less.
Ever since our illustrious Prophet passed away in 632 that Muslims went at each others’ throats. The "Succession" issue has bled Muslims since then.
Within 25 years of his death "The Mother of the Believers" Ayesha went to war against "The Kaliph of Muslims" Ali. 100,000 lost their lives in the "Battle of the Camel". As they were all Muslims they must ALL have gone paradise.
A few years later "The Amir of Believers" Muawiya sent his men against "The Kaliph of Muslims" Ali. Another 70,000 were sent to paradise by Muslims themselves. What a beautiful way to achieve heaven?
It never ends Upon election every Muslim Kaliph or King since then sent his siblings (and their followers) packing to grave. In Levant, in Turkey, in India fratricide was the norm. Sometimes, the son even did away his father, uncles and aunts.
And Muslims coveted each others’ lands too. Mughals raided Muslim Indian king Lodhi. Today an MBS squeezes all his rivals to fill his coffers, Erdogan murders and exiles the followers of Gulen.
Pakistan is no different. Imran Khan is destroying both the Muslim Leage and People’s Party. Once that is achieved he will do what Muslim rulers have always done – milk the populace unhindered. But what goes around comes around. In a few years when the Pak Opposition regroups, Imran Khan may very well be spending his old age in a dark cell.
Nothing new under the sun folks. We have seen this movie before.
Abbas Sahib: In case you missed it, the article talks about corruption in Pakistan and steps being taken to eliminate it. It has nothing to do with the succession struggles that happened over hundreds of years of Muslim history.
Abbas Sahib: In case you missed it, the article talks about corruption in Pakistan and steps being taken to eliminate it. It has nothing to do with the succession struggles that happened over hundreds of years of Muslim history.
They did the same thing when Xi "cut a wide swath" through the party leaders. Trotted out the same shit. Xi getting rid of opponents. I guess they have shut up now. You would think they should celebrate the cleaning of corruption but it would appear that corruption is good for business
They did the same thing when Xi "cut a wide swath" through the party leaders. Trotted out the same shit. Xi getting rid of opponents. I guess they have shut up now. You would think they should celebrate the cleaning of corruption but it would appear that corruption is good for business
Omar Khokhar the issue now on everyone’s lips is that the US would hand over Afghanistan to Iran……there is no other way out. Just like it did with Iraq, and just like Syria. Wash its hands with all this drama and just move on. Iran has good rapport with both the talibunnys and the NA. We the bewaquff pendu once again have been outsmarted. Iran will have Russia and India set up shop in Kabul soon. These iranis will have the Indians paying the bills while its own proxies will rule the joint.
Iraq main bhee yehee hua aur bhai syria/ Lebanon main bhee same.
Hamaray bewaquff pendu khaali haath betthay tamasha dekhain gay…
Aap dekh lena…..hona yehee hae. US/ Russia/ china aur India all are aligned on this.
Omar Khokhar the issue now on everyone’s lips is that the US would hand over Afghanistan to Iran……there is no other way out. Just like it did with Iraq, and just like Syria. Wash its hands with all this drama and just move on. Iran has good rapport with both the talibunnys and the NA. We the bewaquff pendu once again have been outsmarted. Iran will have Russia and India set up shop in Kabul soon. These iranis will have the Indians paying the bills while its own proxies will rule the joint.
Iraq main bhee yehee hua aur bhai syria/ Lebanon main bhee same.
Hamaray bewaquff pendu khaali haath betthay tamasha dekhain gay…
Aap dekh lena…..hona yehee hae. US/ Russia/ china aur India all are aligned on this.