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Pakistan drugs force issues warrant for man who is favourite to be PM Pakistan drugs force issues warrant for man who is favourite to be PM
(about 2 hours later)
Pakistan's political crisis deepened on Thursday as efforts to appoint a new prime minister hit an immediate snag when counter-narcotics authorities issued an arrest warrant against the leading candidate for the job. A military backed court in Pakistan has torpedoed efforts by the embattled ruling party to find a new prime minister by ordering the arrest on of the leading candidate just hours after he had been nominated.
Makhdoom Shahabuddin has been accused of helping to supply ingredients to illegal methamphetamine producers only two days after political chaos was sparked by the supreme court's decision to disqualify Yousaf Raza Gilani who was prime minister from March 2008 until Tuesday. His dismissal decried by some as a "judicial coup". Shahabuddin was favourite to succeed Gilani. Makhdoom Shahabuddin was accused by the court of using his former position as health minister two years ago to allow huge quantities of chemicals to be diverted to producers of illegal methamphetamine.
Shahabuddin had won a swift endorsement from the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) as the man to lead the government as it limps towards the end of its term in February next year. His nomination is due to be voted on in parliament on Friday. On the eve of a parliamentary vote on a new prime minister the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) promptly dropped their candidate.
But his appointment has been thrown into doubt by the decision of an anti-narcotics force magistrate to order Shahabuddin's arrest on charges of approving the supply of an enormous quantity of ephedrine to two pharmaceutical companies during his time as health minister. Even by Pakistan's high standards of political intrigue Shahabuddin's short-lived nomination came as a surprise and heightened concerns that a government at loggerheads with powerful state institutions, including an increasingly assertive judiciary and a military that has long disliked PPP rule, will struggle to remain in power much longer.
Drug control officials say the 2,500kg allotted to the two companies involved was far in excess of anything required for the substance's legal use for making cold medicines. The two companies are accused of passing the ephedrine on to illegal producers of methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug which is increasingly in use in South Asia. The latest political crisis was triggered on Tuesday when the supreme court ordered the sacking of the prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, following months of legal skirmishing over his refusal to reopen a dormant money laundering investigation into President Asif Ali Zardari.
According to Pakistani media reports, the arrest warrant also ordered the detention of Ali Musa Gilani, the son of the recently deposed prime minister, for his alleged involvement. But barely six hours after Shahabuddin, a feudal landlord and close ally of Zardari, was nominated to replace him, a magistrate from the Anti Narcotics Force issued its arrest warrant accusing him of approving the manufacture of an enormous quantity of ephedrine by two pharmaceutical companies during his time as health minister.
Although Shahabuddin has been linked to the case for some time, the timing of the arrest warrant is seen as deeply suspicious. Many observers assume that either the country's powerful military establishment or the increasingly assertive judiciary must be behind the decision. Drug control officials say the 2,500kg allotted to the two companies involved was far in excess of that required for the substance's legal use for making cold medicines.
"This whole thing is being used to weaken the case against him as prime minister," said Mehreen Zahra-Malik, the assistant editor of The News. "One has to look at it as part of a wider political calculation by his rivals." The companies are said to have passed the ephedrine on to producers of meth, a highly addictive drug on the rise in South Asia.
Even if Shahabuddin's nomination is derailed, there are grave doubts whether the PPP-led government will be able to cling on to any prime minister it succeeds in appointing. The arrest warrant also ordered the detention of Ali Musa Gilani, the son of the recently deposed prime minister, for his alleged involvement in the scam.
Anyone who takes on the job is likely to run immediately into the legal quagmire that led to the downfall of Gilani – a demand by the supreme court that he write a letter to Swiss authorities formally asking for long dormant money laundering allegations against President Asif Ali Zardari to be reopened. Although Shahabuddin has been linked to the case for some time, the timing of the warrant is seen as deeply suspicious, with analysts assuming either the country's military establishment or the judiciary must be behind it.
During months of skirmishing with the country's top judges, Gilani was able to resist the demand until finally, on Tuesday, the supreme court disqualified him and banned him from parliament for five years. The ruling party now has to decide whether to tell its MPs to vote for one of two other possible candidates: former ministers Qamar Zaman Kaira or Raja Parvez Ashraf. Ashraf is thought to be less likely as he has been implicated in yet another scandal involving private electricity generating companies.
Raza Rumi, policy director of the Jinnah Institute thinktank, said it was inevitable the court would simply reissue its demand to make the request to Switzerland, only this time there would be few legal delaying tactics. Even when a head of government is appointed there remain grave doubts over whether the PPP will be able to cling on to any prime minister for very long.
"If the next prime minister refuses to write that letter, he might survive for a couple of weeks or maybe a month before facing disqualification by the court," he said. "A similar clash with the supreme court is absolutely on the cards." The new prime minister is likely to immediately run into the same legal quagmire that led to the downfall of Gilani – a demand by the supreme court that he write to authorities in Switzerland formally requesting a reopening of the fraud case against Zardari, something the PPP is determined not to do.
Continued deadlock between the court and the government will smother any hopes of the country grappling with the many serious problems it faces, including Taliban militancy on its western border, a crippling energy crisis and a freefalling economy. "If the next prime minister refuses to write that letter he might survive for a couple of weeks or maybe a month before facing disqualification by the court," said Raza Rumi, policy director of the Jinnah Institute thinktank. "A similar clash with the supreme court is absolutely on the cards."
Continued deadlock between the court and the government will smother any hopes of the country grappling with the many serious problems it faces, including Taliban militancy on its western border, a crippling energy crisis, freefalling economy and acrimonious relations with the United States.
The crisis may ultimately force fresh elections, robbing the PPP of its goal of becoming the first government in Pakistan's history to finish a full five-year term in office.The crisis may ultimately force fresh elections, robbing the PPP of its goal of becoming the first government in Pakistan's history to finish a full five-year term in office.