In a show of solidarity with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, a large number of cabinet members and leaders of the coalition parties, except the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), accompanied him when he appeared before a seven-member bench of the Supreme Court in a contempt of court hearing on Thursday.
No doubt the premier’s fate is linked to the outcome of the proceedings, which were supposed to be held in a serious manner due to the sensitivity of the matter but a word-to-word commentary by electronic media reporters made it hard for the courtroom audience, particularly the backbenchers, to hear the proceedings clearly.
The reporters, continuously murmuring over their cell phones and corresponding with the studios of their respective TV channels, remained a nuisance for the audience struggling to follow court proceedings. A large number of foreign journalists were also attending the proceedings. Local TV channels kept the hype alive, with many expecting an extraordinary decision by the apex court in the contempt proceedings. The SC building, crowded with reporters, lawyers and politicians, gave the impression of a funfair.
After the hearing, Gilani’s lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan appeared before television cameras to brief about the court proceedings. However, he ran into an unexpected situation when a large number of lawyers started shouting slogans, “Zardari ka jo yaar hey… ghaddar hey ghaddar hey” (Whoever is Zardari’s friend is a traitor) and “Chief teray jaan-nisar beshumar beshumar” (Chief, your devotees are countless).
The lawyer’s onslaught against Zardari came in response to emotional sloganeering by some workers of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Gilani’s support. There were speculations that the PPP group was sponsored by Gilani’s former lawyer Babar Awan. The crossfire of slogans forced Aitzaz to cut short his talk, concluding that the chief justice belongs to him as well.
Earlier, a number of important political figures and chiefs of the ruling coalition parties, except the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), accompanied Gilani to the court.
The MQM, a close ally of the PPP government, has not let any of its federal ministers accompany Gilani. Instead, the allied party’s federal cabinet members left for Karachi the previous night. The MQM’s Coordination Committee has decided to remain unbiased in the matter and said that none of its members would accompany the PM to the court.
PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali, Punjab Governor Lateef Khan Khosa, KP Governor Barrister Masood Kausar, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Information Minister Firdous Aashiq Awan, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Commerce Minister Makhdoom Ameen Faheem, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Law Minister Maula Bakhsh Chandio, Communications Minister Arbab Alamgir and Minister for Kashmir Affairs Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo were present in the courtroom to witness the proceedings.
PM goes to SC, MQM chooses to stay behind
