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MQM, Opposition launch war of references

Nirupama Subramanian

Imran Khan, Shaukat Aziz targeted by rival camps

ISLAMABAD: This year’s summer in Pakistan can be hardly described as a silly season, yet a bizarre sideshow to the political unrest in the country is unfolding in the National Assembly.

The plot is simple: the Muttahida Qaumi Movement is trying to get Imran Khan disqualified from the National Assembly. In the process, it is has added to the cast of characters an ex-girlfriend of Mr. Khan, the late Sita White, and the Opposition has retaliated by dragging in Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

How this riveting drama will end is unclear. But it goes back to May 12, the day Karachi burnt and more than 40 persons died as rival political groups clashed in the city while the “non-functional” Chief Justice, Iftikhar Chaudhary, who was to address a lawyers’ convention at the Sindh High Court, had to abort the mission and return to Islamabad after a day’s wait at the Karachi airport.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, an ally of President Pervez Musharraf, and a dominant coalition partner in the Sindh Government, was widely held responsible for the day’s bloody events.

Mr. Khan, who heads the Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf party, vowed to bring MQM leader Altaf Hussain to justice in his adopted country of exile, the United Kingdom.

He asked the British Government to declare the MQM a terrorist organisation and headed off to London to lobby British parliamentarians and file a case against Mr. Hussain for allegedly masterminding the Karachi killings.

The MQM hit back with a googly. It shook the dust off Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution, that specify that only such a person is qualified to become a Member of Parliament who is of good character, and “not commonly known as one who violates Islamic injunctions”, has “adequate knowledge” of Islamic teachings and practices, obligatory duties prescribed by the religion, and abstains from “major sins”.

Then it pulled out Ms. White from Mr. Khan’s colourful past. The British-born heiress died in 2004, but 10 years ago, when the cricketer first entered politics, a Los Angeles court held that he had fathered her daughter.

The MQM used this to slap a reference for the disqualification of Mr. Khan, accusing him of questionable moral character as he had fathered a child out of wedlock. The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Sher Afghan Niazi, weighed in on the MQM’s side with his own reference against Mr. Khan.

On Wednesday, Speaker Amir Hussain gave the plan to have Mr. Khan disqualified a shot in the arm by forwarding both references to the Chief Election Commissioner for further action.

A shocked Opposition said that instead of bringing those guilty for the Karachi deaths to book, the Government was “victimising” Mr. Khan for daring to stand up to the MQM. The MQM stood firm on its action, saying either fornication and having an “illegitimate” child were crimes under Pakistani law, or all those in jail on these charges be freed.

The combined Opposition vowed revenge. On Thursday, it hit back with a retaliatory reference for the disqualification of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz under the same articles of the Constitution, alleging that he engineered a stock exchange crash last year, and also accusing him of “doling away” Pakistan Steel Mills for an unprofitable price until the sale was stopped by the Supreme Court.

Law Minister Wasi Zafar said that those who moved it may face disqualification themselves for making “unsubstantiated” charges against the Prime Minister.

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