LHC judgment: Zardari halts political activities

ISLAMABAD— President Asif Ali Zardari has stopped all political activities in compliance with Lahore High Court (LHC) ruling that as President he must not indulge in partisan politics and also refrain from using the Presidency for party meetings.

By Afzal Khan

Published: Sun 22 May 2011, 12:16 AM

Last updated: Tue 25 Aug 2020, 12:44 PM

Sources in the Presidency said Zardari has been advised by his legal and political aides to suspend his political activities as the co-chairperson of the PPP forthwith as the recent LHC order on dual office is in operation unless the same is suspended by the apex court.
A Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) source said President Zardari had been clearly told that his actions as the PPP co-chairperson may deprive him of the constitutional immunity after the recent LHC judgment. Although, no clear word to this respect is being offered by the Presidency or the PPP yet, Zardari’s political secretary Faisal Raza Abidi has confirmed that the next seven-day schedule of the president does not include any such political activity.
According to the source, the president seems inclined to respect the LHC order though the PPP is protesting against the same and has also announced to challenge it in the Supreme Court. The president is told that any violation of the LHC order may end up taking the co-chairperson of the PPP to the court of law as the LHC order clearly said that the president’s actions as the PPP leader were not covered by the constitutional immunity.
PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira said he did not know how the president would respond to the LHC decision.
Kaira said although legal experts would be in a better position to explain the implications of the court order yet, as per his understanding, the implementation of the court order could be ignored or avoided till the final appeal against such order was decided by the highest judicial authority. Legal experts, however, agree that any court order stands the ground and required to be implemented unless the same was suspended by a higher court.
Following the LHC order, the major threat President Asif Ali Zardari is facing pertains to his constitutional immunity which, according to the LHC order, would not be there for actions he would take as co-chairperson of the PPP.
mafzalkhan@gmail.com