Baithak Desi Jun 25: Leadership Void, Beena Sarwar, Brian Clougley, Nawaz's Legal Dilemma, News & Views, Cartons

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan is in a leaderless drift four months after elections, according to Western diplomats and military officials, Pakistani politicians and Afghan officials who are increasingly worried that no one is really in charge. The sense of drift is the subject of almost every columnist in the English-language press in Pakistan, and anxiety over the lack of leadership and the weakness of the civilian government now infuses conversations with analysts, diplomats and Pakistani government officials. The problem is most acute, they say, when it comes to dealing with militants in the tribal areas that have become home to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Although the political parties and the military all seek a breather from the suicide bombings and nascent insurgency that have roiled Pakistan in recent years, there are fundamental disagreements over the problem of militancy that they have not begun to address, Pakistani politicians and Western diplomats say. Leadership Void Seen in Pakistan

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

Lightning struck near Islamabad, Pakistan, last week. Many fear that no one is in charge of the government’s dealings with Islamic radicals in the tribal areas.

The chief justice’s defiant ‘no’ to a uniformed army chief last year was admirable. His defiance today may prove disastrous in a situation where it is critical to support the coalition and ensure its survival, even at the expense of an individual. From the president, one can hardly expect any such magnanimous and wise gesture. But from the chief justice, such a unilateral and unconditional gesture could open the doors to a new era in Pakistan even if the president stubbornly clings to his position. Beena Sarwar


Afghanistan is a disaster area. The lives of hundreds of foreign soldiers have been sacrificed by their governments. The army and Frontier Corps of Pakistan have suffered thousands of dead and wounded. For what? The collective wisdom of the condescending west has produced nothing other than anarchy, death, and booming heroin exports. Brian Clougley


ISLAMABAD: The 21-year disqualification on holding a public office imposed on Nawaz Sharif by the Attock Accountability Court in the helicopter case in July 2000 was not waived in the presidential pardon granted to him.

This disqualification has now become a major basis for Nawaz Sharif being barred from contesting the forthcoming by-elections by a three-member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC). “This disqualification and non-waiver of the ‘conviction’ (only the sentence was pardoned) in the plane hijacking case have been a sword of Damocles hanging over Nawaz Sharif’s head,” a legal expert explained to this correspondent.

The pardon order dated Dec 9, 2000 in which Nawaz Sharif’s sentences were waived read, “Chief Executive’s Secretariat Islamabad, Subject: Grant of Pardon, In terms of Article 45 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President is advised to:- (a) remit the sentence of imprisonment for life awarded to Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif by the High Court of Sindh in its judgement dated October 30 2000 in special A.T. (anti-terrorism) Appeal No 43 of 2000 under Section 402B of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7(ii) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 and, (b) remit the sentence of R.I. for 14 years awarded to Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif by the Accountability Court Attock Fort in its judgement dated July 22, 2000 in reference No 2 of 2000 under Section 9(a)(v) of the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance 1999. (Pervez Musharraf) Chief Executive of Pakistan and Chairman Joint Chief of Staff and Chief of Army, 9 December 2000. The President: Approved, sentences remitted.” Disqualification of Nawaz not covered by pardon- Tariq Butt

News & Views

Ex-LHC judge released on bail after 22 years
'Jinnah House belongs to the public'
Pakistan calls the shots
Audit shows $2 billion in questionable Pentagon aid to Pakistan
Jinnah House: House of discord
Bodies found of 22 abducted by Pakistani Taliban
Stocks on a high after new rule drowns small fry
Kashmir resolution: never before so close —A G Noorani
22 peace committee members killed, 8 missing in S Waziristan
In Urdu: Hamid Mir responds to DT's editorial attacking anchor's partiality
In Urdu: Crying in Wilderness - Irshad Ahmed Haqqani

Maxim - Today's Cartoon