Gilani joins government-apex court confrontation

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Tuesday joined the ongoing confrontation between the government and the Supreme Court over the issue of extension in service of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor general.

The Supreme Court (SC) Sep 1 had declared the services of NAB prosecutor general Irfan Qadir null and void on the grounds that his three-year contract had expired. The apex court said that any extension in service was against the rules.

After initially showing signs of accepting the SC verdict, Qadir Monday said President Asif Ali Zardari had directed him to continue in the job till further orders. “The President is my appointing authority and only he can de-notify the contract,” Qadir maintained.

Completely disregarding the orders of SC and the law ministry, Qadir reached his office Tuesday, contending that the law ministry had nothing to do with his appointment. This enraged Gilani who directed the authorities concerned to withdraw all protocol and other privileges from Qadir.

Talking to the media, Qadir refused to accept the premier’s orders and said that his appointment was directly made by the President. “I’ll continue to perform my duties,” he said.

The law ministry said Irfan Qadir had been asked to vacate his office.

The government has faced considerable criticism in the past for failing to get the orders of the apex court implemented.

The critics of the government have also been accusing Zardari on several occasions of trying to protect his alleged cronies in key position to safeguard his own interests. They view it as an attempt to keep the corruption cases against Zardari under close wraps.

NAB, the accountability arm of the government, has particularly been made docile by appointing close aides and bringing it under the umbrella of the law ministry with Babar Awan, member of Zardari’s kitchen cabinet, as its minister in-charge.

(Awais Saleem can be contacted at ians.pakistan@gmail.com)