Pakistan's Supreme Court orders the arrest of the PM over corruption
allegations, threatening to increase political turmoil as protesters
demand political reform.
FULL STORY
Pakistani Supreme Court orders arrest of prime minister in corruption case
January 15, 2013 -- Updated 1446 GMT (2246 HKT)
Supporters of Canadian-Pakistani cleric Tahir ul Qadri protest in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Karachi Stock Exchange crashes on news
- Raja Pervez Ashraf is accused of receiving kickbacks for power contracts
- He has always denied the allegations, an adviser says
- A Muslim cleric holds a rally in Islamabad calling for electoral reform
Even by the standards of
Pakistan's often turbulent politics, it was a stormy day that ratcheted
tensions ahead of national elections later this year.
The Supreme Court, which
has clashed repeatedly with Pakistan's political leaders in recent
years, issued the arrest order for Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and
a number of other officials over allegations of illegal payments for
electricity-generating projects when Ashraf was minister for water and
power.
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Speaking on local
broadcaster Dunya News, Fawad Chaudhry, one of Ashraf's advisers, called
the court's decision "a soft coup" against democracy. The prime
minister has consistently denied the allegations, he said.
Last year, the Supreme
Court ousted Ashraf's predecessor, Yousuf Raza Gilani, in a contempt
case related to old corruption charges against President Asif Ali
Zardari.
The Karachi Stock Exchange crashed Tuesday on the news of the Supreme Court action. The KSE shed 500 points in just 10 minutes.
The arrest order for Ashraf was music to the ears of supporters of Tahir ul Qadri, a Muslim cleric
who wants Pakistan's leaders thrown out in favor of a caretaker
government to bring about electoral reform and flush out corruption.
The demonstrators welcomed the court decision, chanting, "Long live the Supreme Court."
Just ahead of the
court's announcement, Qadri, housed in a bulletproof container,
addressed thousands of people gathered near the parliament in central
Islamabad, singling out the judiciary and the military as the only two
institutions that he said were functioning in Pakistan.
He had previously called
on the civilian government to disband by Tuesday morning to allow the
formation of the caretaker government. That deadline has passed, and he
has urged his supporters to continue their demonstration in central
Islamabad and to double their numbers each day.
Claims of a conspiracy
The timing of the arrest order against Ashraf appeared to play to Qadri's advantage.
A senior official of the
governing Pakistan People's Party, which is headed by Zardari, called
the court's decision "a conspiracy."
Speaking on Dunya News, Sharjeel Memon suggested the order had "a direct connection" with Qadri's movement.
Corruption is widely
considered a chronic problem in Pakistan's political system; Zardari has
served prison time on corruption charges.
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And during his time as
minister of water and power, Ashraf is accused of accepting kickbacks
from power companies to approve expensive projects, known as Rental
Power Projects, that in reality generated very little electricity.
Pakistan regularly
grapples with chronic power outages, with its booming population putting
a strain on the public power grid. So the government had to rely on
private power producers.
Ashraf is alleged to
have used the kickback from these private firms to buy property abroad.
The accusations earned him the derisive nickname "Rental Raja," and the
Supreme Court eventually stripped him of his former ministerial role.
If authorities follow
through on the court's order and arrest Ashraf, he will remain prime
minister for the time being, said Salman Akram Raja, a constitutional
expert.
"The court hasn't convicted him; he is an accused at this stage," he said in an interview on local broadcaster Geo News.
The political drama set off by the Supreme Court followed unrest in Islamabad's streets earlier Tuesday.
Brief clashes took place
between security forces and Qadri's supporters as the crowd moved into
the area near the parliament where protests regularly take place.
Local media reported
that police fired shots into the air and lobbed tear gas at the crowd.
The unrest subsided after 10 to 15 minutes, and the protesters continued
peacefully.
Qadri's supporters
accused police of starting the unrest by trying to arrest the cleric,
but Interior Minister Rehman Malik said police were doing their best to
protect Qadri and control the crowd. He said the reported clashes are
under investigation.
Footage from local
broadcaster Ary News showed chaotic scenes of people running and objects
being thrown as gunshots echoed in the background.
'The beginning of the revolution'
Qadri had already held a
nighttime rally around 2 a.m. Tuesday after he and his convoy of
followers arrived in Islamabad on Monday after traveling for more than a
day from the eastern city of Lahore.
"It's the beginning of the revolution," he said, referring to Zardari as "ex-president" and to Ashraf as "ex-prime minister."
But the group's numbers
fell far short of what organizers of the "Million Man March" had
predicted, with witnesses estimating that about 20,000 people took part.
Malik, who visited rally sites Monday by helicopter, said the turnout numbers showed that Qadri's event had "badly failed."
Qadri had promised a Pakistani equivalent of Egypt's Tahrir Square protests.
After eight years in
Canada, Qadri returned last month to Pakistan, where he is waging a
campaign against the political elite. He has called for a caretaker
administration to replace the current government and to carry out
election reforms.
His suggestion that the
judiciary and the military weigh in on the composition of the interim
government has raised concerns in a country where military leaders have
repeatedly seized power and ruled for long periods of time.
Some Pakistanis, noting
that Qadri served as a lawmaker in the early 2000s, when Gen. Pervez
Musharraf was leading the country, have suggested he may be working on
behalf of the military.
Qadri denies those allegations and maintains he is simply seeking to ensure a corruption-free electoral process.
The current government
and opposition have rejected his requests for a caretaker
administration, insisting that nothing will stand in the way of timely
elections and the democratic process.
"We will not succumb to these illegal demands," Malik said last week.
If this year's elections
take place without major difficulties, it would represent the first
time in Pakistan's history that a civilian government made it through a
five-year term.
CNN's Nasir Habib reported from Islamabad,
and Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Shaan Khan in Islamabad
contributed to this report.
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