ISLAMABAD: While September 20 would probably be a celebrated day in Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf’s political career, it would certainly not hold the same value for his predecessor Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Yesterday, standing in the dock, face-to-face with the five-member bench headed by Justice Khosa, Mr Ashraf empowered his law minister, Farooq H Naek, to take on the assignment to write the letter to the Swiss authorities.
On one hand, by acceding to the court's long-standing demand, Mr Ashraf has secured his position as the premier till the government completes its five years and has been exempted by the court from appearing in person.
On the other hand, a maelstrom is brewing within the party ranks for not bailing out former prime minister and senior vice president of the party, Mr Gilani, who is bound to feel bewildered and cheated after standing by the president for 30 months.
According to party insiders, when President Asif Ali Zardari first accepted Mr Naek’s argument that there was nothing wrong in implementing court orders in the NRO judgment case, those close to the former prime minister expressed their dis-satisfaction openly.
Questions on why the same position wasn't taken when Mr Gilani was at the helm were constantly thrown and some sympathisers were so swayed by their emotions that they described the decision to write the letter to the Swiss authorities akin to putting the grave of late Benazir Butto on trial.
This line had been frequently iterated by the president in the past as well, and at one point he is on the record to have said: “Till the PPP is in power, no letter will be written to the Swiss courts, come what may. I will not put the grave of late BB Shaheed on trial.”
Talking to Dawn, a senior ruling party leader said Mr Zardari would receive flak for the sudden about-turn after 30 months of dilly-dallying on the court ruling.
“Mr Gilani lost his job just because he had refused to write the letter,” he said, before adding, “We will have to wait for President Zardari and Mr Naek's appearance before the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) and their justifications for the sudden change in heart.”
Nevertheless, the decision would certainly have shocked Mr Gilani, who never spared an opportunity to speak against the judiciary’s insistence to write the letter.
Be it the floor of the house, out in public rallies, at special media interactions, Mr Gilani insisted that implementing the NRO judgment case was tantamount to breaching the constitution, which he would never do.
He is famously quoted to have said that writing the letter against a sitting president meant violation of the Constitution, an act punishable under Article 6 of the Constitution, which carried death penalty.
He went on to say: “I am ready to spend six months behind bars for committing contempt of court, instead of accepting death penalty for violating the constitution.”
Party insiders speculate that President Zardari would have been fearful of a strong reaction and it could be the reason why last Monday he had spent considerable time eulogising the selfless services and unparalleled sacrifices that Mr Gilani had rendered for the PPP.
But with this shift in the PPP policy, a lot depends on the final outcome of the case.
“The announcement today has saved Prime Minister Ashraf’s skin, but now the onus lies on the shoulders of law minister Naek,” said a party source.
“If Prime Minister Ashraf is allowed to complete his remaining term and, more importantly, if the president remains protected from any prosecution in the Swiss courts, it will help the former prime minister keep his chin up in the public view,” said a senior PPP leader who didn’t want to be quoted.
Otherwise the PPP leader warns the party would have to brace itself for constant criticism about how the leadership sacrificed a PM who defended his party leader till his eviction from his post.