Govt. bars Shahbaz Sharif from running for parliamentary election.

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Good!
http://pakistandaily.com/p/34/26890233d312.html

Pakistan Bars 1 From Elections
The Associated Press, Thu 8 Aug 2002 Email this story to a friend
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistani government announced Thursday that the brother of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif cannot return to the country to take over the leadership of a major opposition party contesting the October parliamentary election.

The government also said former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was free to come back to Pakistan but would face arrest on corruption charges if she does.

The moves are likely to be seen by critics as further signs that President Pervez Musharraf intends to block any serious challenges to his authority in the elections, which are to restore civilian government after two years of military rule.

Shahbaz Sharif, former chief minister of Punjab province, replaced his brother this month as leader of the Pakistan Muslim League to head the party’s campaign in parliamentary elections Oct. 12.

Party spokesman Sadique al-Farooq said the leadership change was necessary because Musharraf refused to allow Nawaz Sharif to return from exile in Saudi Arabia and contest the elections.

Musharraf, the military chief of staff, ousted Nawaz Sharif in an October 1999 bloodless coup, and the coming election is to meet a Supreme Court deadline for the restoration of civilian rule. Musharraf has sought several constitutional changes that critics say will limit democracy and keep the military as the main arbiter of power.

In a statement Thursday, Information Minister Nisar Memon said that Shahbaz Sharif, who went to Saudi Arabia along with his brother and other family members in December 2000, would also not be allowed to come home.

He has gone to Saudi Arabia along with about 25 other members of the Sharif family under an arrangement made on their request for a period of 10 years,'' Memon said in a statement. Therefore, the question of anybody’s return from that country simply does not arise.‘’

Memon said that if Shahbaz Sharif ignored the order and tried to return, he would be denied entry and sent back to Saudi Arabia.

After the October 1999 coup, Nawaz Sharif was convicted of corruption, kidnapping and hijacking and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was freed in December 2000 and sent into exile to Saudi Arabia along with family members.

Memon accused the Sharif family of violating Saudi law and the terms of their exile by issuing political statements from Saudi Arabia.

Memon said that unlike the Sharifs, Bhutto was free to return at any time because she left the country on her own. However, she would face arrest for corruption convictions handed down against her after she left the country, Memon said.

Bhutto was ousted in 1996 amid a corruption scandal and left the country, dividing her time between homes in Britain and the United Arab Emirates.

Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, were found guilty of corruption by the High Court in April 1999. They both were sentenced to five-year jail terms, fined and disqualified from politics for seven years.

In July, Bhutto was sentenced to a further three-year prison term for failing to appear in court to answer corruption charges. She has indicated repeatedly that she will return before the October election.

Raja Zafarul Haq, chairman of Sharif’s party, said that Shahbaz Sharif would defy the order and return but he would not say when.

``I don’t want to enter into a controversy by denouncing Nisar Memon’s statement, but as far as our position is concerned, we have taken a decision to contest the elections, and Shahbaz will be among us any time,‘’ Haq said.

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There goes my choti tind!!!

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the tind kingdom in trouble.. are there any charges against tinds son aka niki tind?

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[quote]
Originally posted by Abdali:
the tind kingdom in trouble.. are there any charges against tinds son aka niki tind?
[/quote]

Some of the ppl in the tind dynasty are free... Surcharge Aziz, Mushahid (aka chamcha) Hussain etc...

5

Man these elections are going to be no fun at all... All the shugli ppl are getting banned!!! The elections of 88, 90, 93, 97 were fun, but this time they are gonna be very dull!!! I mean I remember how supporters of PPP and PML would ride in cars and motorbykes in the election days carrying flags, and it was fun. It was also fun when families were divided b/w PPP and PML and there was competition amongst them.

Bring back waddi tind, choti tind, BB etc!!! Phir mazah aye ga!!!

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[quote]
Originally posted by Spock:
** Some of the ppl in the tind dynasty are free... Surcharge Aziz, Mushahid (aka chamcha) Hussain etc... **
[/quote]

Well, if they don't have degrees, they are history as they can't contest election. I don't know about Sartaj Aziz, but Mushahid has degree in journalism. So, he can run for election.

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[quote]
Originally posted by Shamraz Khan:
** Well, if they don't have degrees, they are history as they can't contest election. I don't know about Sartaj Aziz, but Mushahid has degree in journalism. So, he can run for election.**
[/quote]

Surcharge also has degree in economics! graduate from Islamia college lahore(my college), hailey college and amazingly also have masters degree in development economics from Harvard University.

End is Begining!

[This message has been edited by Shak killS (edited August 09, 2002).]

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then what about this ???:

Pakistan headed towards political turmoil as Musharraf unsure of success

By Abdullah F. Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military ruler General Pervez Musharraf last week had to strike another deal with ousted and exiled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his bid to manage and manipulate the general elections he has promised in October.
This time Musharraf needed Sharif and he had to give the Sharif family some concessions, which could be extended further as confidence and trust between the two grows. The immediate outcome was permission to Nawaz’s daughter Mariam and son-in-law, Capt Safdar, to travel to UK. Other members may also be allowed soon.
In return Nawaz Sharif sent a clear message to his party that he was rejecting the offer by Benazir Bhutto of the PPP to fly together in the same plane to Pakistan and confront General Musharraf jointly.
The deal is an informal one and no official of the Government or the PML leadership or the Sharif family will ever publicly acknowledge it, but its implementation is its biggest announcement.
The self-appointed broker of the deal, newspaper tycoon Majid Nizami, a family friend of the Sharifs and a seeker of favours from the Musharraf Government, was last week in Saudi Arabia persuading the Sharifs to join an anti-PPP coalition under broader supervision of General Musharraf.
Given their present pathetic situation and keeping the past in view, the Sharifs, specially the patriarch of the family, Abbaji, is inclined to work again with the army, as the family has always done.
But a source said the Sharifs asked Nizami point blank whether he had any authority given to him to bring a message by the regime to offer any deal and Nizami blinked. But to convince Abbaji that he was working with the blessings of those who matter, the immediate release of Nawaz’s daughter and son-in-law was ordered. They took no time to take the first flight out of exile to London and may not think of going back for a long time.
The Nawaz message has created a crisis within the PML as its leaders huddled in Islamabad on Aug 2 and 3 to find an alternate leader who could take the party to the polls in October. A majority was still demanding that Nawaz Sharif retain the presidentship but that could lead to a deadlock and ultimately the party may have to agree to Kulsoom Nawaz as the chairperson. Whether she will be allowed to contest in the polls is yet to be seen.
The grim picture painted by Nizami to the Sharifs included the prospect that if a workable and practical coalition was not formed against Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf may decide to hold non-party elections or even put off the elections indefinitely.
This would mean the politicians of all hue and kind would have blown their chance to get back into some action and fight the military domination from within the system.
Both Musharraf and Nawaz have been compelled to come to terms, and make mutual adjustments, after all political pundits predicted a large PPP victory, definitely in southern Sindh province, with a much-improved performance in Punjab and NWFP. Both Nawaz and Musharraf are scared of such a situation.
General Musharraf has been making desperate attempts through his intelligence set up to forge some consensus within the anti-PPP political ranks and create a “king’s party” but has failed miserably so far.
After Nawaz and family went into exile after a presidential pardon granted to them on the guarantee of the Saudi royal family, a break-away faction, PML-(Quaid-e-Azam) led by some former stalwarts of Nawaz, joined the government bandwagon. Ever since these people are hand in hand with the regime waiting desperately to come to power.
With Benazir’s PPP becoming increasingly hostile towards the regime in the past few months, the kitchen cabinet of Gen Musharraf comprising top generals wanted, as a last resort, to strike another deal with the exiled former premier Nawaz Sharif in order to unify the two major factions of the league, which they think, could effectively block PPP’s march to power.
So Nizami was unofficially picked up to send the message. Before leaving for Saudi Arabia, Nizami met a number of top government officials and told them the PML was their only viable option in the post general elections scenario. A majority of these top brains of the regime are said to be slowly and steadily coming to terms with this point of view.
Nizami’s formula included that Nawaz Sharif relinquish his charge as party head and nominate someone to head the united PML. The two major factions should then unite and their top leaders be accommodated through a workable formula. In return Nawaz and family be allowed to proceed to London. If all goes well, like daughter Mariam, Mrs Kulsoom Nawaz and the rest of the family could leave for London any time.
This will bring into focus the role of Shahbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Nawaz and former Chief Minister of Punjab. General Pervez Musharraf has a special liking for the man. During the premiership of Nawaz, he specially recommended to their father, Abbaji, during a courtesy call on him as Army chief at their Raiwind Estate that Nawaz should be eased out and Shahbaz should replace him as prime minister. This was not liked by Nawaz.
Many in the informed political circles of the Pakistan capital believe, Gen Musharraf is still considering the younger brother as a possible leader to unite all anti-Benazir forces. Shahbaz is also desperate to return and is waiting for the right nod of the top man in Islamabad.
The sticking point right now is who should lead Nawaz’s party. As he himself has said he would not contest the party chief’s election, he wants his wife to take that post. Musharraf is not ready to accept her, at least for now, as she led a determined anti-Musharraf campaign and won many hearts and supporters. She would not be totally submissive to the military’s demands after the elections if her party won a substantial number of seats.
The regime, on the other hand, wants to see a docile person like Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, a one time Information Minister of late General Zia ul Haq, or some other obedient guy to head the united party. Zafar is presently a toothless chairman of the PML-N, a ceremonial post created to accommodate him.
Musharraf’s problem is after sailing along with the regime in troubled as well as smooth waters throughout the past 33 months, the pro government leaguers are getting nowhere.
Recently, Gen Musharraf met top leaders of his favourite PML-QA to apparently consult them on some constitutional package, but told them he was not satisfied with their performance. It was a meeting in which these leaders faced the stick and carrot policy of the regime as on one hand they were given a detailed briefing of their weaknesses, and on the other, were assured that power woud be transferred to them in the post election scenario.
In their secret meetings with top brains of the regime, the PML-QA people have been told that if things did not work the way the regime wants them to, there was a possibility of a party less poll. Postponement of elections in the worst-case scenario also could not be ruled out, they were told.

http://www.satribune.com/archives/aug03_09_02/MainLead.htm

[This message has been edited by fasal (edited August 09, 2002).]

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Surchage comes from an educated family, I know about that, but Im glad he has a degree from harvard… I like Surcharge Aziz

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/smile.gif