Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: greenspirit who wrote (42987)	7/12/2002 2:32:57 AM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Respond to of 50167

Court ruling brings hundreds of political casualties including Benazir Bhutto. By Tariq Butt ISLAMABAD: Gohar Ayub Khan, who resigned as Secretary General Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) immediately after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging BA condition for contesting candidates, is among hundreds, if not thousands, of political casualties of the court ruling. The casualties are influential leaders of almost all political parties, prominent among them being the PML-QA, PML-Nawaz, Pakistan People's Party, and Awami National Party etc. The affectees are exceedingly more in main parties that have the bright chances to win a maximum number of seats in the forthcoming electoral contest. Gohar Ayub was the one who had been in the forefront in pushing his PML-QA to challenge the bachelor's degree condition prescribed by the government for the contesting candidates that was upheld by the apex court. Keeping in view the observations made by the honourable judges sitting on the five-member bench; the court ruling appeared unexpected if not surprising for the challengers of the condition and several others. In future, it would be frivolous to draw a conclusion according to the lordships' observations. Now, the educational prescription is final and ousts the non-graduates from the October 10 fight. This has comprehensively purged the electoral field of many former "corrupt and dishonest" MPs without the involvement of the National Accountability Bureau. Immediately after the introduction of the qualification condition, some political parties particularly the PML-QA had asked their non-graduate but potential nominees for the October polls to appear in the graduation degree examinations or name their scions to replace them as the party candidates. A few of them appeared in the examination. But most of them have their sons prepared for the contest. Gohar's son too will fight from his native Haripur constituency. While submitting his resignation to PML-QA President Mian Mohammad Azhar, Gohar said he was stepping down because he could not hold the party office for being disqualified by the court judgement. Not only a large number of future candidates have been affected but several others, who hold political parties' offices, would also be hit, as they have to be qualified to be elected as MNA or MPA or senators. Though a precise tally of the affectees among those who have been members of the 1997 parliament and provincial assemblies or the previous federal and provincial legislatures coming in place since 1985 is not available, the graduation condition has impacted more than 40 percent of them. Except a few new faces, those being elected as MNA or MPA or senator in successive elections have mostly been those who have been in the legislatures since 1985. A handful of them have already been thrown out as a result of judgments on the NAB references. The government says even the former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, who is otherwise convicted and disqualified to hold party office or contest the October elections, stands ousted from the electoral contest, as she does not hold the bachelor's degree. Even veteran politician Nawabzada Nasrullah, who heads the multi-party opposition grouping, Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), is also disqualified for being a non-graduation degree holder. President General Pervez Musharraf's decision to impose the educational qualification had shocked the political parties, but the court ruling had bewildered them. The last hope to get the condition reversed was dashed. Political parties will face immense difficulties in finding suitable women candidates for the special seats in the national and provincial assemblies and senate because a number of their present prominent leaders and activists are non-graduates.