See you had a bit of trouble on this post.

You used the [b][/b] of the YABBSe system. It's easier here.

To get bold here, forget that,

just put asterisks on either side of the text you want in bold (no spaces).

To get italics here, just put an underline on either side of the text.

Pasted urls come out as live links--no need for code, even the long ones, as far as I can see. (If you ever see one the looks suspect, like it wouldn't come out live here, you should put the code a and /a within arrows before and after.)

Those things are all easier than YABBSe.

Getting a link with text, like the editors want, that's about equal in difficulty to the old BB

The code is on FAQ # 2 @

http://scoop.agonist.org/special/faq

looks hard, but actually after a few times, your fingers get used to doing it and it goes quick. Ya just paste the url, type an arrow and a href= in front of it, an arrow after it, your link text, and arrow-slash-a-arrow.

Pictures are are easier typing. It's: left arrow-img src=-url-another equal sign-right arrow. No spaces.

P.S. Bold and italics don't work in the little "subject" window. The text in that little subject window doesn't come up in your post itself--what it becomes is the text of the link to your post that ends up on lists like "Recent comments" or "Recent Stories" et. al. (And I imagine, it is also the text of the link on the RSS feed!)

 

Jun 26, 2004

Pakistani Prime Minister Resigns After Months of Speculation, Senior Officials Say

By Stephen Graham

Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced his resignation and the dissolution of his Cabinet on Saturday, ending months of speculation that his relationship with the country's military ruler was strained.

The leader of the ruling party, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, was nominated to replace Jamali.

"I resigned from my post as prime minister today," Jamali told reporters after a gathering of the PML-Q party.

Jamali said he hoped the decision would help the nation's political process, but did not elaborate. The country has been on a long and bumpy road back to democracy since President Gen. Pervez Musharraf staged a bloodless 1999 coup. Musharraf remains the nation's ultimate powerbroker.

Hussain is all but certain to win the necessary vote of confidence in parliament, where the ruling party enjoys a commanding majority. A vote was expected within days.

Observers say Musharraf, who met earlier Saturday with Jamali, had grown impatient at Jamali's inability to rein in opposition lawmakers and effectively defend the government's approach.

The move was unlikely to have a significant impact on foreign policy, including Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism and tentative peace talks with India. But it raised fresh concern about the country's return to democracy, five years after Musharraf seized power in a military coup.

As recently as Friday, Jamali had sought to quash rumors that he was on his way out and that his relationship with Musharraf had chilled. Jamali and Musharraf met earlier Saturday.

Liaqat Baluch, an opposition lawmaker, accused Musharraf of trying to ensure that no strong political rival can emerge.

"They stoked the fire around Jamali and then pushed him into it," said Baluch, a member of the six-party religious coalition opposed to Musharraf. "The military rulers want to maintain their supremacy so that no political government is stable."

Under powers granted in constitutional amendments after Musharraf's 1999 coup, the general has the power to dismiss Jamali and Parliament if he chooses. The two men met earlier Saturday, but the prime minister said he stepped down rather than be fired.

One of the country's most-seasoned politicians, Jamali became prime minister in November 2002 after the PML-Q, which supports Musharraf, won the most seats in elections the month before.

His appointment helped ease concerns in the West about the rise to prominence of ultraconservative religious parties. But those worries flared anew last month when Maulana Fazlur Rahman, a pro-Taliban cleric, became leader of the opposition.

But he also drew stiff criticism from Pakistan's two other major political parties - the PML-N and the Pakistan People's Party.

Both parties' leaders are in exile, embittering a political climate heated by a string of assassinations of politicians as well as sectarian violence and deadly fighting between the Pakistani Army and al-Qaida militants near the Afghan border.

On Saturday, gunmen riding a motorcycle sprayed a car carrying Bin Yamin Rizvi, a local PML-N leader, with bullets in the eastern city of Lahore, killing him along with his driver and bodyguard.

Lahore police chief Tariq Saleem said he had no leads on who was behind the attack.

But party spokesman Sadique al-Farooq condemned the assassination and blamed Musharraf for "failing to keep law and order."

Two members of the Pakistan People's Party have been killed in the southern city of Karachi this year.

Musharraf has endorsed a constitutional amendment that theoretically would force him to quit as chief of the armed forces on Jan. 1, 2005. He would remain as civilian president until his term expires in 2007.

-----

Associated Press writers Sadaqat Jan in Islamabad and Zarar Khan in Karachi contributed to this report.

AP-ES-06-26-04 1101EDT

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB0SX2VXVD.html

Go Back To The Story

(ed.It is never as it seems in Pakistan, does make one wonder what happened overnight)

Jamali Says no one has asked him to resign

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Friday termed news about his resignation baseless, concocted and malicious.

Addressing a dinner hosted in the honour of federal ministers and members of parliament at the Prime Minister House, he urged the nation and newsmen not to believe in such rumours. He denied that there was a crisis-like situation in the country. The prime minister said that he had completed the process of consultation with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on the expansion of the cabinet.

Later talking to newsmen, Jamali said that as the prime minister he was making it clear that he was not going to quit and no one had asked him to resign. He said there was no discussion about his removal in the NSC meeting. He said he did not know, who was behind this move. He deplored the campaign against him.

When asked about reports that he was going to resign on June 29, the prime minister said the newspaper that had published such a news knew better than him, adding such baseless news should not be published.

Responding to a question, he said he had no enmity with any minister. He, however, said besides expansion of the cabinet, the portfolios of some ministers could be changed on the basis of their performance. He said he did not meet President Musharraf on Friday. He rejected reports as false suggesting that he held an important breakfast meeting with someone on Friday. "No one met me at breakfast", he said.

In an interview to a private channel, Jamali said he had been holding discussions and consultations with the president and he had always talked of cooperation. He said wherever needed, the president also provided guidelines for improvement. Jamali said he could not stop anyone from misinterpreting his "high-level" meetings with the president.

Asked who were these rumour-mongers, the prime minister observed that it was the game by the "have-nots." He said such a "power struggle" was part of politics, which was not just peculiar to Pakistan. However, he added, the genuine politicians take politics seriously. The prime minister said that parliamentary system was in place and fully functioning. "My very presence here as the prime minister proves that," he added. Jamali said the president never imposed any restriction on him in the discharge of his responsibilities and in fact always encouraged him in this respect.

After the budget, he said, follow-up meetings had been started and he held meetings with finance and petroleum ministers. Regarding ban on the entry of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Qazi Hussain Ahmed into Sindh, he said it was the decision of the Sindh government that was in a better position to answer this question.

He hoped that confrontation would not be flared up. He said Maulana Fazlur Rehman action not to attend the meeting was irrational as the NSC was established under the Constitution. Jamali said: "There is no instability in the country. All speculations and conjectures of critics are proving erroneous. I do not have any personal enmity with anyone".

Commenting on the law and order situation in Sindh, the premier said the Sindh government is solely responsible for the law and order situation, saying that the Sindh chief minister was powerful one and he would submit report to him.

Drawing an analogy between the game of cricket and politics, Jamali said politics was a long game. "We play a five-day game and make decisions after due consideration and contemplation, while some people are interested in one-dayer", he said.

On the Hudood laws, the prime minister made it clear that no law against the Qur'aan and the Sunna could be enacted in the country. However, he added, Parliament was fully empowered to review the man-made laws and suggest improvement wherever possible.

The prime minister did not agree with the assertion that there was a problem of "national consensus" during his government. He said there was no issue about wheat and the Punjab had always provided wheat to Balochistan, the NWFP and even Sindh whenever needed.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League President and Parliamentary Leader Ch Shujaat Hussain met President Gen Pervez Musharraf and National Security Council Secretary Tariq Aziz at the President's House on Friday. The three leaders exchanged extensive views on the present political situation and important decisions were taken on making the democratic system in the country effective, sources said.

The MMA's boycott of the maiden session of the NSC also came under discussion. President Musharraf said the MMA should have abided by its promise about the NSC and should have adopted the democratic process. The sources revealed that the president said that he wanted to maintain the sanctity of the political and democratic system and the NSC, which was a consultative body, would help achieve this purpose. He said all reservations about the NSC should be removed.

Meanwhile, Ch Shujaat Hussain has said that Aiwan-e-Sadr was not the source of conspiracies instead here matters were discussed for the solidarity and integrity of the country. He denied any chances of removal of Prime Minister Jamali or the Sindh governor, saying those dreaming about this were, in fact, living in fools' paradise.

He said the journey of democracy was on the right track without any obstacles or hindrances and the Aiwan-e-Sadr was not conspiring against it. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Friday held a meeting with Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and discussed latest political situation. The prevailing rumours about change of prime minister also came under discussion during the meeting.  

http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en68729&F_catID=sd&f_type=source

feel free to add to post oh masterful one with all the powaaaaaaaaaaaah

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL111515.htm

Pakistan premier resigns, nominates successor

26 Jun 2004 17:09:52 GMT

(Writes through with Shaukat Aziz nomination)

By Zeeshan Haider and Sheree Sardar

ISLAMABAD, June 26 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali resigned and dissolved the cabinet on Saturday, ending a 19-month tenure during which he was seen to have lost the confidence of President General Pervez Musharraf.

In a two-step succession plan, the premiership will pass to outgoing Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz after an interim period of 45 to 50 days under the leadership of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who heads the ruling pro-military Pakistan Muslim League (PML) party.

"Shaukat Aziz will be the prime minister after Chaudhry Shujaat (Hussain)," said Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, information minister in the recently dissolved cabinet. "Now he (Aziz) will work as senior minister."

Musharraf plucked Aziz from Citibank in New York to become his finance minister after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999, and the ex-banker has turned around the economic fortunes of a country that was virtually bankrupt.

Ahmed said Pakistan's economic and foreign policies, overseen by Musharraf, would remain unchanged.

"The government's policies, especially warming ties with India, our commitment against international terrorism...all these policies of President Musharraf will be followed as they have been," he added.

"There will be no change in our foreign policy and economic policy."

Jamali tendered his resignation after meeting Musharraf and told the media he had stepped down to save the political system and bolster the PML party.

"Keeping in view the instructions and principles of the party, I have come to the conclusion that the party has to be saved, the country has to be saved and the party must be strengthened," the stout, softly spoken Jamali said.

Analysts believe Musharraf has been seeking to replace Jamali with someone better equipped to counter parliamentary opposition and aggressively pursue reform programmes.

MIXED DEMOCRATIC RECORD

Jamali's resignation will raise fresh concerns over the state of democracy in Pakistan, nearly two years after 2002 elections formally ended a military dictatorship.

The opposition complains that Musharraf has stifled democracy since he ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The West has been slow to criticise Musharraf, a key player in the U.S.-led war on terror, despite his continued domination of the political arena.

The Commonwealth of mostly former British colonies readmitted Pakistan last month, citing progress on democratic reforms.

Musharraf has been locked in a bitter standoff with members of the parliamentary opposition, ranging from the exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to a six-party conservative Islamic alliance.

In the latest political clash, the Islamic bloc demanded that Musharraf fulfil his commitment to step down as head of the army by the end of the year.

The president has hinted he may not honour a deal whereby he promised to hand in his uniform in return for opposition support for controversial constitutional amendments that gave him the power to sack the prime minister and dissolve parliament.

Western diplomats say Musharraf's role as army chief is key to his authority in Pakistan, where the military has ruled for more than half its history since independence in 1947.

Musharraf is a key player in U.S. foreign policy, dropping Pakistani support for the Afghan Taliban in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the United States that year and transferring hundreds of al Qaeda suspects into U.S. custody.

He is also pushing for lasting peace with nuclear-armed rival India, with which Pakistan has fought three wars, two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir.

Jamali's resignation comes on the eve of talks between Indian and Pakistani bureaucrats in New Delhi, the first time the neighbours have met formally to discuss their central Kashmir dispute since leaders held unsuccessful talks in mid-2001.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL89105.htm

NEWSMAKER-From U.S. banker to finance minister to Pakistan PM

26 Jun 2004 19:20:29 GMT

By Amir Zia

ISLAMABAD, June 26 (Reuters) - Plucked from Citibank in New York to become finance minister after a 1999 military coup in Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz is just weeks away from becoming prime minister of the turbulent South Asian nation.

Unlike Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who resigned as prime minister on Saturday, Aziz is clearly favoured by President General Pervez Musharraf.

The 55-year-old former international banker will be running a country wracked by poverty and Islamist militancy, but Finance Ministry colleagues say he always seemed cool under pressure while steering the economy away from near bankruptcy.

"He has the leadership qualities. I have never found him tense," Ashfaq Hasan Khan, a senior ministry official, told Reuters.

"He remained relaxed even in the worst of times and most challenging situations. Therefore we never felt tense."

Not being a politician could be an advantage in Musharraf's eyes, as the military head of state has often shown scant regard for Pakistan's civilian political class.

Corruption is a huge issue in Pakistan and most of the leading politicians have been tainted by corruption allegations.

But being a political outsider also means Aziz will have to wait to become prime minister as he is not a member of the National Assembly's lower house, and will have to win a safe seat to qualify.

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), will hold the premiership for up to 50 days while Aziz makes the transition from the Senate to the lower house.

As the country's most influential civilian power broker, Hussain can pave the way for Aziz by sorting out fractured party politics which helped put pay to Jamali's tenure.

SHARP TURNAROUND IN PAKISTAN'S FINANCIAL FORTUNES

Aziz earned Musharraf's confidence by overseeing a sharp turnaround in the country's fortunes after taking charge when the country was virtually bankrupt.

At the end of this year, for the first time Pakistan will have successfully completed two International Monetary Fund programmes -- a standby loan facility and a poverty reduction growth programme -- after several aborted efforts in the 1990s.

Regarded as brilliant by his peers, Pakistan's civilian governments of the 1990s also sought his advice to deal with mounting indebtedness.

Aziz flew to Pakistan in 1997 on a jet owned by Citibank to try to advise then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif how to squeeze growth out of a country choked by $32 billion of debt and years of living beyond its means.

But the economy sank, and it was not until Musharraf ousted Sharif and persuaded Aziz to take charge of the Finance Ministry that the wheels began to turn.

He was helped by debt forgiveness from the West in return for Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan in 2001, and the inflow of billions of dollars from Pakistanis abroad after stricter banking rules aimed at catching terror financing.

Markets are expected to take his coming appointment positively.

Yaseen Lakhani, a former chairman of Pakistan's premier Karachi Stock Exchange, welcomed the news.

"He is a totally honest and extremely hard working person," Lakhani said. "He is a decision maker. These qualities always reflect his business acumen and management skills.

"He is a dedicated Pakistani."

His family migrated from east Punjab at the time of the partition of the sub-continent in 1947 into India and Pakistan.

Like many talented compatriots, Aziz made his name and career abroad.

He joined Citibank in Pakistan in 1969 as an executive. He was posted to Athens in 1975 and has had several other postings for the bank. He is a business graduate from Karachi University's Institute of Business Administration.

He has a son and two daughters, all living abroad.

Pakistani Premier Forced Out in Favor of Finance Minister

 John Lancaster and Kamran Khan| NEW DELHI |June 27, 2004

WaPo -- After 19 months in power, Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali resigned Saturday evening at the request of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, in a shakeup that underscored the army's continuing dominance of Pakistani politics.

Jamali gave no reason for his resignation, which he announced at a meeting of the governing political party, the Pakistan Muslim League. He nominated party president Chaudry Shujaat Hussain as his successor. Pakistani officials said Hussain would hold the seat until the installation of Musharraf's favored candidate, Shaukat Aziz, a former Citibank executive who currently serves as finance minister.

Over the last several months, there have been persistent reports of strained relations between Musharraf and Jamali, an unassuming career politician from the turbulent border province of Baluchistan. Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, backed Jamali for prime minister after the October 2002 elections that were supposed to mark the restoration of democratic civilian rule.

In practice, Jamali wielded little power, as Musharraf continued to call the shots. Musharraf, who remains army chief of staff, has hinted in recent weeks that he will renege on a pledge he made -- as part of a deal with opposition parties -- to give up his army post by year's end.

Analysts expressed little surprised at Jamali's resignation, noting the army has repeatedly stepped in to topple civilian governments and leaders in the name of protecting the national interest. "As long as he's in uniform you will see these antics," Mohammed Ziauddin, Islamabad editor of the English-language newspaper Dawn, said of Musharraf in a telephone interview from the capital. "Now that an election has been held, and the party is in power, he should have let that work."

Musharraf did not comment on Jamali's resignation, but the president's political allies defended the decision to force Jamali out. "He was working at the pleasure of the president," said Ejaz ul-Haq, the minister for religious affairs and the senior vice chairman of the Pakistan Muslim League. "The president must have had a solid reason to ask him to go. We will stand by the president in all his decisions."

A close aide to Musharraf, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that in forcing Jamali out, the president sought to redress the grievances of politicians from Punjab, one of Pakistan's four provinces, who felt that Punjabis were underrepresented in the upper reaches of civilian government. Hussain, the interim choice for prime minister, is from Punjab, as is Aziz, the finance minister, although he has spent much of his life in Karachi and abroad. "Punjab was left out of" the civilian government hierarchy, the aide said. "There is a simmering sense of deprivation in Punjab."

The aide also noted that, if Musharraf reneged on his pledge to give up his army post, he would need the support of the Punjabi-dominated officer corps.

Although he had no experience in politics before he became finance minister, Aziz has been widely credited with Pakistan's strong economic performance in the past two years. Before joining the government, he held senior positions with Citibank in London and New York, where he still owns an apartment.

Khan reported from Karachi, Pakistan.

© 2004 The Washington Post Company

http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en68773&F_catID=sd&f_type=source

Resignation a plot against democracy: MMA

LAHORE: The MMA has termed the resignation of Prime Minister Jamali a conspiracy against the budding democracy in the country, saying it was an insult of the parliament and a dangerous threat to national security.

The MMA has decided to resist, what they called, a musical chair of handpicked prime ministers and is likely to demand that instead of seeking vote of confidence by the new nominee of prime minister's office, re-election should be held on the post since the ruling party had lost people's mandate and trust of the voters by playing into the hands of the dictator.

MMA acting president Qazi Hussain Ahmad called a meeting of the parliamentary party on Monday to chalk out future line of action. Besides, the meeting of MMA Supreme Council has also been called within a couple of days to decide modalities of the course of action.

Talking to The News, he said MMA would demand the ruling party in the parliament to take the House into confidence about the reasons behind the sudden and uncalled for change of the prime minister, and the nomination of a senior minister to run the cabinet in the absence of the prime minister.

"Nowhere in the world an outgoing prime minister nominates his successor and a senior minister, which shows that it is part of a big game whose strings are being pulled from somewhere else," he said. Qazi said Chaudhry Shujaat's nomination as prime minister was unexpected and showed that the players could not find any other consensus candidate for the slot.

Qazi said MMA would evolve a joint strategy with other opposition parties specially ARD to resist the anti-democracy conspiracies. He said MMA and ARD have joint agenda on protecting democracy and resisting dictatorship in any shape.

Qazi said he would leave for Karachi on Sunday afternoon by air. He said the MMA wanted to promote peace in Karachi and its leaders were ready to take every possible measure and give every sacrifice for this cause. He condemned the attitude of the Sindh government.

Talking to The News, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said Jamali's resignation was a result of palace intrigues which have de-tracked democracy in the country. He said such intrigues had endangered national security and integrity in the past but it was a matter of shame that the players had not learnt any lesson and the same the dirty tricks were again being played with the democracy.

MMA deputy secretary general Liaquat Baloch said it was the first fruit of National Security Council (NSC) and it would further behead all democratic institutions because the military dictators could never see democracy flourishing in the country.

MMA MNA Farid Paracha said the nation could see that who was pulling the strings of the palace intrigues. He said dictators had always said that politicians came to beg for their intervention but now everything was clear. He said it was the result of making parliament subservient to an individual and such situation would lead to further degeneration of the system.

MMA parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Asghar Gujjar and MPAs Dr Waseem Akhtar, Mufti Ghulam Farid Hazarvi, Ihsanullah Waqas, Prof Waqas Khan, Arshad Baggu and others also condemned the `forcible resignation' of Prime Minister Jamali.

http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en68772&F_catID=sd&f_type=source

Jamali resigns, Shujaat interim PM, Shaukat to be next PM

ISLAMABAD: Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Saturday voluntarily stepped down as prime minister of the country and nominated Pakistan Muslim League President and Parliamentary Leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as the next premier.

"I hereby tender my resignation as prime minister and dissolve the federal cabinet forthwith," announced Jamali at the PML House here following a spate of speculations over the last few weeks.

He handed over his resignation to party's President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who was sitting on his right side. Jamali said: "There is no one better than Chaudhry Shujaat to become prime minister with the support of the party and the allies."

Jamali said he was authorised to nominate Shujaat as his successor for the office of prime minister. He said Shujaat would take vote of confidence from the National Assembly in two or three days.

Prime Minister-nominate Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain termed Jamali's move a "historic decision". Shujaat said he would do his utmost to carry out his responsibilities with honesty and dedication. "I will take the party and the allies along and all decisions will be taken through consultations... May Almighty Allah helps us," he added.

Former prime minister Jamali also announced Shaukat Aziz as senior minister in the new cabinet to be headed by Shujaat Hussain.

Uproar and mismanagement marred the media event at the PML House.

Jamali said he was making history and called his action a "bold decision". He added: "I think my resignation will help the party, system, political culture and conditions to improve in the future."

In his farewell press conference and address to a handful of ministers, ministers of state, advisers and party stalwarts, Jamali said he had never injured the feelings of anyone, and he was thankful to Chaudhry Shujaat, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain for helping him to assume the office of the prime minister following the October 2002 elections.

Jamali showered praises on his cabinet colleagues, particularly Information Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed, for their cooperation in running the government.

He said the issue was debated and consulted at all appropriate forums and finally it was decided to hand over the office to PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. "We discussed it today thrice and finally agreed on one point to save the system," said Jamali.

He recounted his actions as prime minister and pleaded for positive political culture. He said he would continue to serve Pakistan and the PML as a party worker. He was thankful to all those newspapers and channels that reported his resignation.

Jamali said: "I have not felt embarrassed, as in politics I tendered have resignation from many party offices in the past and I request the allied parties to accept Chaudhry Shujaat as future prime minister."

Meanwhile, President Pakistan Muslim League and Prime Minister-nominate Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain announced on Saturday night that Shaukat Aziz would be the prime minister once he gets elected as member of the National Assembly.

"The PML has nominated Shaukat Aziz as the prime minister, but the final arrangement will be made once he gets elected as MNA, as no senator can be leader of the House," Shujaat said.

He was addressing a news conference at his residence an hour following his nomination as prime minister by outgoing prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Shaukat Aziz, Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Secretary-General PML Mushahid Hussain were also present.

"I will perform as prime minister till Shaukat Aziz gets elected as MNA," said Shujaat. He said the party took the decision of nominating Aziz as prime minister in an effort to see national economy progressing well, and for the sake of continuity of the system.

Shujaat said he would take oath as prime minister on Tuesday. The nomination papers to be submitted by Monday. Shujaat paid rich tributes to Jamali and hailed his decision of stepping down voluntarily.

Shaukat Aziz said Pakistan faced many challenges. "We will resolve issues through consultation and mutual respect to each others' point of view and would make Pakistan an exemplary country," said Aziz. He said the country would progress under the leadership of Shujaat Hussain.

Shaikh Rashid Ahmed told The News that Shaukat would contest elections from Okara, where the outgoing senior minister, Rao Sikandar, would vacate his seat for Shaukat. "I think Rao Sikandar will be made Punjab governor in place of Khalid Maqbool," he added.

Hamayun Akhtar hailed Jamali's decision of stepping down voluntarily. He said he (Jamali) would continue to serve the party.

Hamid Nasir Chattha, a PML stalwart, said Jamali's decision would bode well for the party and the country.  

Related Front Page post from worldwise Jamali gives way to banker from NY

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FF29Df04.html

More musical chairs in Pakistan

By Syed Saleem Shahzad

KARACHI - The resignation of Pakistani premier Zafarullah Khan Jamali at the weekend will do little to alter the course of the country as determined by the de facto ruling oligarchs, and the change amounts to no more than an elaborate game of musical chairs.

At the heart of the matter is that President General Pervez Musharraf and his circle of retired and serving army officers who wield the real power are bent on sculpting the political landscape to ensure that when - and even if - Musharraf hangs up his uniform by the end of December as he has pledged, the "general" will be an all-powerful president.

Intense media speculation came true on Saturday when, after a brief meeting with Musharraf, Jamali, the weakest premier in Pakistan's history, stepped down, dissolved his cabinet and nominated the ruling Pakistan Muslim League president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as his interim successor.

Later, Shujaat said that Jamali's finance minister, Shaukat Aziz, a senator, would replace him (Shujaat) after being elected to the National Assembly within the next few months. Most likely, Shaukat will contest a by-election in Okara, where a seat will be vacated by former defense minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal. However, the decision-makers are reviewing more secure seats in other areas.

In the interim, Shaukat will perform most of the prime ministerial functions in his capacity as a senior minister.

Right up until Jamali's resignation, opposition parties, including the Muthahida Majlis-i-Amal alliance of six religious parties, the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz urged him not to resign, but Jamali dared not to stand up to Musharraf.

The replacement of the "over-obedient" Jamali with the dynamic but politically-isolated Shaukat sheds some light on the machinations of Pakistan's oligarchs.

Jamali was a by-product of the oligarchs and chosen from the ranks of the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-i-Azam, which was formed by the Inter-Services Intelligence, as he was sure to obediently implement Musharraf's directions in parliament without letting on that the general was the one pulling the strings: the oligarchy needed a "face" behind which they could continue to rule without too much criticism.

But Jamali turned out to be just too passive towards the army, and never even made an attempt to assert himself as chief executive: "I cannot dare to differ with Musharraf as he is my boss" was his constant refrain. "General Pervez Musharraf is the real power. He is my master as well."

This attitude was not a part of the plan, and several times Musharraf advised him to appear to be more dynamic, to no avail. So Shaukat was identified as a replacement as he comes across as much more lively and assertive. Shaukat, born, raised and educated in Karachi, is a former senior executive at Citigroup. He left his Wall Street career to return as finance minister following Musharraf's coup in 1999. The fact is, though, that he does not have a power base of his own and will simply be a more presentable face for Musharraf.

Oligarchs of the time of the coup who are still close to Musharraf include the then commander of 10th Corps, Lieutenant-General Mehmood Ahmed (now retired and serving as managing director of Fauji Fertilizer, the country's largest fertilizer plant owned by the army's Fauji Foundation), former chief of army staff General Jehangir Karamat, former director general and now a senator, retired Lieutenant-general Javed Qazi etc.

The agents of implementation for the oligarchs are civil service and police bureaucrats, including Tariq Aziz (who was in Musharraf's class at FC College Lahore and who enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the bureaucracy) and Shoaib Sadal.

In comments on Sunday, Shaukat said that national consensus would be achieved to resolve all major issues confronting the nation, and he stressed the need for developing a "vision of Pakistan".

As things have gone in the past, though, that vision can be expected to be not that of the nation, but of Musharraf and his clique.

http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en68834&F_catID=sd&f_type=source

Shujaat says he is not caretaker PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister-nominate Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Sunday said he would make the coalition partners part of the decision making process.

Talking to parliamentarians from the PPP-Sherpao at the residence of Aftab Sherpao, Shujaat said it was his duty to take into confidence all the coalition parties. He said the main focus would be on ensuring political stability and good governance during his tenure as prime minister.

He clarified that he was not "caretaker" or "interim" prime minister, as reported by a section of the media. Shujaat said the development projects would continue and he would also ensure continuity of the policies initiated by President Musharraf.

"There would be no misuse or excessive use of power during my tenure," he said. Shujaat said he came to meet PPP members to express his complete trust in them and assure them that they would be together through thick and thin.

Later, PPP Chairman Rao Sikandar Iqbal signed the nomination papers of Shujaat Hussain as proposer for the post of prime minister and Sherpao signed the papers as seconder. They assured Shujaat of their unconditional support inside and outside parliament.

Sherpao proposed that a conciliatory committee be formed to address the grievances of the coalition partners, if there were any. Later, talking to journalists, Shujaat said he had full confidence in his coalition partners, adding, "We would work hand in hand".

When asked about share of the coalition partners in his cabinet, Shujaat said we had done away with the concept of "share" in the cabinet. "It does not make any difference if the PPP has 15 ministers and PML has two. This is not an issue."

Sherpao told journalists that their aim was to further strengthen the ruling coalition, so that they could contest next election with full force. "We have assured unconditional support to Shujaat Hussain," he said.

About share in the federal cabinet, Sherpao said this was non-issue. "When you are in a coalition and decide to go together through thick and thin, slots in cabinet do not matter." When quizzed on the change of prime minister, he said change was part of politics.

Later, Shujaat met Muttahida Qaumi Movement parliamentarians and discussed political situation with them. Shujaat assured the parliamentarians that every effort would be made to bring peace and stability in Karachi.

http://info.mgnetwork.com/printthispage.cgi?url=http%3A//ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBKU0Y22WD.html&amp
;oaspagename=www.tbo.com/ap/story.htm&image=tbologo80x60.jpg

Jun 29, 2004

Pakistani Parliament Selects Musharraf Loyalist as New Prime Minister

By Sadaqat Jan

Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the head of Pakistan's ruling party and a loyal ally of the nation's military ruler, was elected caretaker prime minister in a rubber-stamp vote in parliament on Tuesday.

Hussain was expected to stay in office only for a matter of weeks, until political maneuvering is completed that will allow respected Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz to assume the premiership.

There was little drama in the parliament vote, with Hussain beating his only challenger 190-76.

Opposition lawmakers complain that the process has been manipulated behind the scenes by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the nation's ultimate power broker. They say it underlines the lack of real democracy in this country five years after the general took power in a coup.

"I will continue the policies of President Musharraf," Hussain told lawmakers after he was elected in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament.

He said that his priorities would be to "fight terrorism, improve law and order, and eliminate poverty and illiteracy."

Hussain won with the support of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q party and other smaller groups. He was expected to be sworn in by Musharraf within the next 24 hours.

Hussain replaces Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who had served for 19 months but had reportedly fallen out with Musharraf. He tendered his resignation Saturday without giving a reason.

Aziz, an international banker, is widely believed to be favored by Musharraf. Aziz is credited with salvaging Pakistan's near-bankrupt economy after international sanctions were imposed in 1998 in reaction to the testing of nuclear missiles.

Running against Hussain was Amin Fahim, the choice of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's opposition Pakistan People's Party.

An opposition religious alliance, Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal or United Action Forum, which has 68 seats, stayed away from voting and did not field a candidate, said Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal lawmaker Hafiz Hussain Ahmed.

The leader of the parliamentary opposition, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, denounced the change in the premiership, saying it was unnecessary.

"There was no need to change the prime minister, but he was forced to resign," said Rahman told lawmakers. "We are working for the supremacy of parliament and our journey toward it will continue."

State-run PTV televsion abruptly halted coverage of Rahman's speech after he made the critical comments.

Pakistan Muslim League-Q party officials have said Aziz, a member of the Senate, will be nominated as premier once he secures a seat in the lower house, a requisite for any candidate as prime minister.

A Musharraf loyalist will have to resign from the lower house, setting up a by-election that Aziz can win, a process derided by opponents as an affront to democracy.

The change in prime ministers was unlikely to dramatically alter Pakistan's commitment to either the U.S.-led campaign against al-Qaida or fledgling peace talks with nuclear rival India - matters that are firmly in Musharraf's hands.

Real authority rests with Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and has since made changes to the constitution that empower him to dismiss the prime minister and Parliament.

Jamali took office in November 2002, a month after Musharraf organized parliamentary elections.

Opposition legislators have proved ineffective since then, spending much of the past year-and-a-half banging on desks and shouting down speakers in the house. They have voiced frustration with what they see as Musharraf's attempts to whitewash what is essentially a military rule.

AP-ES-06-29-04 0952EDT

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBKU0Y22WD.html

Go Back To The Story

http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en68729&F_catID=&f_type=source

So your comment went to the main story, not as a reply to my comment asking for a link

http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en68775&F_catID=16&f_type=source&last=&am
p;back=&next=&day=0

Military never accepted civilian set-up: PPPP

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians said the resignation of Mir Zafarullah Jamali as prime minister shows the military leadership never accepted the civilian and political set-up.

"The system was unstable and the resignation had exposed the fallacy of the argument that the National Security Council would usher in political stability," PPPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim told a party meeting.

The emergency meeting was held to consider the situation arising out of the resignation of prime minister. The meeting, presided over by Fahim, was attended by over 20 MPS who were in the capital.

Fahim said the meeting decided to ask the party legislators to immediately return to Islamabad for consultations on the new political situation. "A full party meeting will be held in the PPP Secretariat in Islamabad today (Sunday)."

About nomination of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as prime minister, he said the change in face did not matter. He said Benazir Bhutto has been updated on the latest situation.

Meanwhile, the meeting noted that the people must be told why Jamali had been forced to resign just after the National Assembly, reposing confidence in him, had passed the budget.

The meeting also condemned the murder of PML-N leader Bin Yamin Rizvi in Lahore on Saturday and denounced the regime for abysmal failure of law and order.

 http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=abmsEUdNeLFs&refer=asia#

Pakistan's Parliament Elects Hussain Prime Minister (Update1)

June 29 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistani lawmakers today elected Chaudry Shujaat Hussain as the country's prime minister for an interim period after Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali stepped down and dissolved his cabinet on Saturday without citing a reason.

Hussain, 59, defeated opposition leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim by getting 190 votes to 76 for Fahim in the 342-member National Assembly, parliament's lower house. The vote was announced by the speaker of the house, Chaudhry Ameer Hussain.

Chaudry Shujaat Hussain, a lawmaker from Punjab, Pakistan's biggest province, expects to be in the job for about two months.

Hussain's election became necessary because Shaukat Aziz, designated the next prime minister of the country by Jamali, has to win elections to the lower house, or National Assembly, which elects the prime minister. Membership of the lower house is mandatory for all prime ministerial aspirants.

Aziz, a former banker turned finance minister, will give up his seat in the upper house, the Senate.

Jamali, who is the fifth Pakistani prime minister in 14 years to leave the post before completing tenure, named Hussain to succeed him for the interim period.

Jamali was elected prime minister in November 2002, after President Pervez Musharraf, an army general, returned the country to civilian rule. Musharraf seized power from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup in October 1999.

To contact the reporter on this story:

Khalid Qayum in Islamabad, Pakistan at  kqayum@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story:

Adrian Kennedy at  adkennedy@bloomberg.net.