Pakistan’s National Assembly elected its first female speaker ever today, as Fehmida Mirza, a Bhutto loyalist, got the nod. I’m sure that the Pakistani Taliban will be thrilled. The three-time parliamentarian won 249 of the 324 votes cast, and will lead the lower house. While this is good news in many ways, the new ruling coalition has a lot of work to do.
The PPP still hasn’t put forward a name for Prime Minister, and the process is turning into a joke. There is jostling within the party for the position, with at leat 4 or 5 names floated, and assumed favorite Makhdoom Amin Fahim, a well-respected PPP leader, is said to have lost favor with Asif “Mr. 10%” Zardari. He was essentially left out of key decisions and humilitated, despite the fact that he basically ran the PPP for the better part of the last 10 years until Bhutto’s return.
In any case, once the issue of the Prime Minister is settled, the coalition government is set to pass a motion to reinstate the 63 judges that Musharraf tossed after declaring “emergency plus” in November. Musharraf has indicated that the motion would need 2/3 majority to pass, whereas the PPP and PML(N) have suggested that a simple majority would do (they likely would have 2/3 support anyway). Moreover, the current Supreme Court, packed with Musharraf’s allies, could attempt to block the move. The restoration of the ousted judges was a key demand of the PML(N), the PPP’s largest coalition partner, so the PPP will have to press Musharraf on this point. Of course, if the pre-November 3 judiciary is restored, they could declare Musharraf’s presidency illegal. If Musharraf works out a deal allowing the restoration of the judges in exchange for keeping his post, then he’ll be a toothless President, and I find it hard to believe that he would allow this. Of course, the alternative is that he fights the National Assembly at every turn and faces impeachment. Oy vey! This issue may hasten his departure from Pakistani politics, and if it happens, it may well happen within the next month or two.
While Pakistan’s internal politics are fascinating right now, the militants reminded everyone that they are the greatest threat to Pakistan’s stability. A bomb went off in the courtyard of a restaurant in Islamabad that is popular with foreigners, while two suicide bombers hit Lahore, killing around 30 and injuring about 100. The army has stepped up its attacks in the NWFP and the tribal areas, so it looks like the reported cease-fire between the sides is officially over. In addition to suicide bombs in the major cities, Pakistan’s citizens are also grappling with skyrocketing inflation, especially for basic foodstuffs, while the economy faces a number of headwinds that threaten to derail much of the progress seen in the last few years.
Mrs. Mirza has been elected to lead parliament at a time when it will take incredible political will and courage from all the parties to steer a dysfunctional nation. Congratulations to her on her historic selection, and I truly wish her the best of luck. It’s clear she’s going to need it.
TAGS: attack, economy, election, impeachment, Islam, political, Politics, Slam, Supreme Court, Taliban, war
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March 20th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Nice one Hassan. I didn’t realize Zardari and Fahim had a falling out. It seems Zardari is consolidating power. I wonder if he killed his wife.
April 24th, 2008 at 4:17 am
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