Pakistan will achieve on Saturday a significant first in its history as a nation. The current PPP-led government will be the first elected government since the birth of the country to complete its constitutional five-year term without being interrupted by a military coup or the head of government being dismissed.
There have been three successful coups in Pakistan, resulting in long periods of military rule. It started in 1958 with Gen. Ayub Khan deposing the then President, Iskander Mirza, the man who days earlier had appointed Gen. Ayub Khan Chief Martial Law Administrator after dismissing the government of then Prime Minister Feroz Khan Noon and the Constituent Assembly. The second coup took place in 1977 with Gen Zia-ul Haq deposing the then Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The third occurred in 1999 with Gen Pervez Musharraf ousting the then Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif.
President Asif Ali Zardari has described this as a huge success for his Pakistan People’s Party. The current government’s term ends on Saturday.
Addressing a dinner party he hosted in honour of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and members of his Cabinet here Thursday night, President Zardari said the completion of tenure by the present government and a peaceful transition of power in a democratic way would be another major achievement of the present dispensation.
He said the government faced huge challenges during its tenure, including the war against militancy, economic issues, recurrent natural disasters, an energy crisis and many others, but it made “successful efforts” to overcome these issues.
The President said it is to the credit of the present government and maturity of the leadership that it pursued a policy of reconciliation and took all political forces along on issues of national interest. Mr Zardari lauded their role in strengthening democracy and promoting reconciliation.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice of Pakistan Ifitikhar Mohammed Chaudhry said Friday that no overseas Pakistani should be deprived of the right to vote. A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Mr Chaudhry is hearing the overseas Pakistanis voting rights case. Also, on Friday the government announced that Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf would give a farewell address to the nation on Saturday. “The draft of the Prime Minister’s speech has been prepared. In his speech the PM will highlight the successes of the PPP government during its rule,” said a government spokesman.