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| Pakistan Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister | Pakistan Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister |
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| ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in a corruption case on Tuesday afternoon, in a drastic intensification of hostilities between the country’s embattled government and its opponents. | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in a corruption case on Tuesday afternoon, in a drastic intensification of hostilities between the country’s embattled government and its opponents. |
| The court order came as an enigmatic preacher turned politician, Muhammad Tahir-ul Qadri, addressed thousands of supporters outside parliament and repeated calls for the government’s ouster. In earlier speeches, he said that a caretaker administration led by technocrats should take its place. | The court order came as an enigmatic preacher turned politician, Muhammad Tahir-ul Qadri, addressed thousands of supporters outside parliament and repeated calls for the government’s ouster. In earlier speeches, he said that a caretaker administration led by technocrats should take its place. |
| “Victory, victory, victory. By the grace of God,” Mr. Qadri said at the conclusion of a speech to his supporters, who have vowed not to leave a public square outside Parliament until their demands are satisfied. | “Victory, victory, victory. By the grace of God,” Mr. Qadri said at the conclusion of a speech to his supporters, who have vowed not to leave a public square outside Parliament until their demands are satisfied. |
| The confluence of the two events stoked growing speculation that Pakistan’s powerful military was quietly supporting moves that would delay general elections that are due to take place this spring, most likely through the imposition of a military-backed caretaker administration. | The confluence of the two events stoked growing speculation that Pakistan’s powerful military was quietly supporting moves that would delay general elections that are due to take place this spring, most likely through the imposition of a military-backed caretaker administration. |
| It was not certain that the events were linked. Some analysts said that in ordering the prime minister’s arrest, the court, which is led by the independent-minded chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was simply taking advantage of anti-government sentiment generated by Mr. Qadri in order to pursue its longstanding grudge against President Asif Ali Zardari. | It was not certain that the events were linked. Some analysts said that in ordering the prime minister’s arrest, the court, which is led by the independent-minded chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was simply taking advantage of anti-government sentiment generated by Mr. Qadri in order to pursue its longstanding grudge against President Asif Ali Zardari. |
| Whatever the motivations, the court’s actions added to the chaos in Pakistan, a country whose nuclear arsenal and strategic interests in next-door Afghanistan have made it a nexus of intrigue in Asia. | |
| In its order issued Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the National Accountability Bureau, a government body that investigates graft, to arrest Mr. Ashraf and 15 other senior current or former officials, including a former finance minister and a former finance secretary. | In its order issued Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the National Accountability Bureau, a government body that investigates graft, to arrest Mr. Ashraf and 15 other senior current or former officials, including a former finance minister and a former finance secretary. |
| The case relates to allegations that Mr. Ashraf took millions of dollars in kickbacks as part of a deal to build two electricity power plants while serving as minister for water and power between March 2008 and February 2011. A court prosecution in the case been ongoing for over one year, so it was the timing of the arrest order that raised eyebrows. | The case relates to allegations that Mr. Ashraf took millions of dollars in kickbacks as part of a deal to build two electricity power plants while serving as minister for water and power between March 2008 and February 2011. A court prosecution in the case been ongoing for over one year, so it was the timing of the arrest order that raised eyebrows. |
| It started in December 2011 when two senior opposition figures filed a petition against Mr. Ashraf in the Supreme Court; four months later the court ruled that the plants were illegal, ordered their closure, and instituted proceedings against Mr. Ashraf. | It started in December 2011 when two senior opposition figures filed a petition against Mr. Ashraf in the Supreme Court; four months later the court ruled that the plants were illegal, ordered their closure, and instituted proceedings against Mr. Ashraf. |
| The case has particular political resonance because Pakistan’s energy crisis, which has seen severe electricity rationing across the country, is the source of some of the main complaints against the government. | The case has particular political resonance because Pakistan’s energy crisis, which has seen severe electricity rationing across the country, is the source of some of the main complaints against the government. |
| The information minister, Qamar Zaman Kaira, said the government had not received any official notification of the order to arrest Mr. Ashraf. Fawad Chaudhry, a senior adviser to the prime minister, said that any such order would be “illegal and unconstitutional.” | The information minister, Qamar Zaman Kaira, said the government had not received any official notification of the order to arrest Mr. Ashraf. Fawad Chaudhry, a senior adviser to the prime minister, said that any such order would be “illegal and unconstitutional.” |
| “Under the law, the court cannot arrest him,” he said. | “Under the law, the court cannot arrest him,” he said. |
| President Zardari has called a meeting of senior advisers at his Karachi residence to discuss the crisis late Tuesday, Mr. Chaudhry added. | President Zardari has called a meeting of senior advisers at his Karachi residence to discuss the crisis late Tuesday, Mr. Chaudhry added. |
| Mr. Ashraf’s ouster would not necessarily collapse the government, as he could be replaced with another candidate, and the court order could be simply the latest salvo in a long-running conflict between Mr. Zardari and the court. | Mr. Ashraf’s ouster would not necessarily collapse the government, as he could be replaced with another candidate, and the court order could be simply the latest salvo in a long-running conflict between Mr. Zardari and the court. |
| Last June, Justice Chaudhary forced the resignation of Mr. Ashraf’s predecessor as prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, in another corruption case. Whether there was a link between the court and Mr. Qadri’s march on Islamabad — billed by the preacher as a “million man march” but in reality far smaller — was the subject of rampant public speculation. | Last June, Justice Chaudhary forced the resignation of Mr. Ashraf’s predecessor as prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, in another corruption case. Whether there was a link between the court and Mr. Qadri’s march on Islamabad — billed by the preacher as a “million man march” but in reality far smaller — was the subject of rampant public speculation. |
| Mr. Qadri stormed onto the political scene in Pakistan after returning home from a seven-year stint in Canada, where he also holds citizenship, armed with considerable funding that he has used for an intensive television advertising campaign and large rallies. | Mr. Qadri stormed onto the political scene in Pakistan after returning home from a seven-year stint in Canada, where he also holds citizenship, armed with considerable funding that he has used for an intensive television advertising campaign and large rallies. |
| In his speech Tuesday, which was peppered with emotional Islamic references and delivered with some gusto, he demanded the immediate resignation of the government, and painted the political class as “criminals” who deserved to be prosecuted for corruption. | In his speech Tuesday, which was peppered with emotional Islamic references and delivered with some gusto, he demanded the immediate resignation of the government, and painted the political class as “criminals” who deserved to be prosecuted for corruption. |
| Salman Masood contributed reporting from Islamabad, and Waqar Gillani from Lahore, Pakistan. | Salman Masood contributed reporting from Islamabad, and Waqar Gillani from Lahore, Pakistan. |