The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Pak to get new PM tomorrow
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

The National Assembly will meet on Friday to elect a new premier following Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's disqualification by the Supreme Court, senior Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Syed Khurshid Shah has said.

FRONTRUNNER

Makhdoom Shahubuddin

Khurshid Shah told reporters that a session of the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament will be convened at 5.30 pm on Friday to elect the new premier. Nomination papers for the election will be filed on Thursday.

The PPP is reported to be considering Makhdoom Shahbuddin and Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar for the office. President Asif Zardari has consulted the party leadership and his coalition partners on the new name.

Meanwhile, PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has denied that his party was opposed to the name of Ahmed Mukhtar for the premier's slot. Mukhtar, a businessman from central Punjab town of Gujrat, has been a traditional political rival to Shujaat whom he defeated in several elections, including those held in 2008.

Shahabuddin is old PPP loyalist from south Punjab. Media reports said his name was implicated in the ephedrine scam in which Gilani's son was also facing probe.

News Analysis
Judicial coup or judicious decision?
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

Removal of elected prime ministers in Pakistan before completion of their tenures has been a long tradition, though the modus operandi has changed drastically this time. For decades, the military has played this role either directly or through presidents, as in 1990s, while the judiciary fell in line. However, Yousaf Raza Gilani's ouster through a court order sets a new precedent, hence it is inherently divisive and open to a fractious debate prompting some to characterise the Supreme Court ruling as a 'judicial coup'.

Incidentally, there was always an element of inevitability to such an action. By defying the court orders to write a letter to the Swiss authorities for reopening the money-laundering case against President Asif Zardari, he had left no option for the court but to take drastic action after showing much restraint for nearly two years.

Gilani could have further delayed the matter by appealing against his conviction by a seven-member SC bench on contempt charges. He, however, opted to rely on a favourable ruling by the Speaker while believing that it cannot be challenged. His legal advisers proved wrong and the court rejected the notion that the Speaker could overrule seven judges.

The verdict had created a delicate situation of a possible dangerous showdown between the judiciary and Parliament, where the ruling coalition has an overwhelming majority. Such a course could have plunged the country into a crisis at a time when it was already facing multiple domestic and external challenges.

President Zardari and his party have shown a remarkable sense of maturity and responsibility by accepting the decision and losing no time in setting about the task to find an alternative choice. Despite obvious dismay and reservations, the PPP leadership asked loyalists to remain calm and patient. It augurs well for the continuity of the democratic process. The stance by two important allies, the MQM and the PML-Q, to bow to the court judgment further facilitated a moderate response.

Gilani is gone and the country will have a new premier by Friday, while next elections may only be a few months away ahead of the stipulated deadline of February next year. Prior to the polls, an interim government would be formed to oversee them. The coalition partners have said they would endorse any PPP nominee which ensures a smooth transition.

But one impossible choice before the new leader would be to write to the Swiss authorities or face the same consequences.

India hopes change won’t hit talks
Ashok Tuteja/TNS

New Delhi, June 20
India is hopeful the political upheaval in Pakistan following the disqualification of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani would not affect the dialogue process between the two countries.

However, there are indications that the talks between the foreign secretaries of the two countries, which were to be held on June 29 in New Delhi, are now likely to take place on July 4-5. Though there was no formal announcement about the date, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas jilani had recently told the media in Beijing that the talks would be held on June 29.

New Delhi believes that whoever takes over as the new PM would be as committed to the dialogue process with India as Gilani was. Gilani had won many admirers in diplomatic and media circles in India for some bold moves he had made to mend fences with New Delhi, particularly on the trade and economic front. He had also established a close rapport with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today said India was closely monitoring the situation in Pakistan and hoped the development would have no bearing on the relations between the two countries. "We are very closely following the events in Pakistan. We would like the political impasse to be settled,'' he told reporters soon after his arrival here from Canada.

Samaras sworn in as Greece PM

Athens, June 20
The head of Greece's conservative party, Antonis Samaras, has been sworn in as prime minister to head a three-party coalition that will uphold the country's international bailout commitments.

His New Democracy party will join forces with the socialist PASOK party, which came in third place, and the smaller Democratic Left. — AP

3 US soldiers among 21 killed in Afghanistan

Kabul, June 20
A suicide bomber attacked US and Afghan forces at a checkpoint today in eastern Afghanistan, killing 21 persons, including three US soldiers, officials said.

It was the third day in a row the Americans were targeted by insurgents as persistent violence complicates efforts to train Afghans to take over their own security in preparation for the withdrawal of most combat troops at the end of 2014.

Afghan officials initially said a car bomber struck a military convoy, but NATO spokesman Maj Martyn Crighton, said the attacker hit Afghan and coalition forces at a checkpoint in the city of Khost.

"There was a convoy in the vicinity that responded to the attack," Crighton said.

Baryalai Wakman, a spokesman for the Khost provincial government, said it appeared likely the suicide bomber was on foot.

US Defence Department officials confirmed those killed were Americans and said a suicide vest is suspected to have been used. They spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the incident were sketchy and the officials weren't authorised to talk about it publicly. Four men also were wounded in the blast, he said. — AP

Assange seeks asylum at Ecuador embassy
Police says he may be arrested for breaching bail term

London, June 20
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who dramatically sought sanctuary in the Ecuador embassy here and applied for political asylum, could be arrested since he has breached one of his bail conditions, the police said today.

The Metropolitan Police Service said one of his bail conditions was that he would remain at the bail address between 22.00 hours and 0800 hours. This was breached last night after he sought sanctuary in the Ecuador embassy and sought political asylum.

The police statement said that they were aware of his location in the Ecuador embassy. Meanwhile, a Foreign Office statement said: "The Ecuadorean authorities have informed us that Mr Assange had...requested political asylum in their embassy in London.

The government of Ecuador is considering the request." "As Mr Assange is in the Ecuadorean embassy he is in diplomatic territory and beyond the reach of the police. We will seek to work with the Ecuadorean authorities to resolve this situation as soon as possible," it said.

The 40-year-old hacker-turned-activist, Assange has been on conditional bail and is sought to be extradited to Sweden to face allegation of sex offences, which he denies. — PTI

Suu Kyi seeks international help to build Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi at Oxford University after receiving an honorary degree. — AFP

London, June 20
Citing recent changes in Myanmar, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi today cautioned that "too many people are expecting too much" from her country and sought the help of the international community and her alma mater to build the road ahead "inch by difficult inch".

Addressing the Oxford University at the traditional ceremony Encaenia in which Suu Kyi and eight others were honoured with honorary doctorates, she appealed for help to build the road ahead "inch by difficult inch".

She said that "too many people are expecting too much" from her country.

Describing the day in Oxford as "moving", Suu Kyi was awarded the honorary doctorate in Civil Law.

Suu Kyi, who turned 67 yesterday, was described by Chancellor Chris Patten as a "star shining in the east, the light of her countrymen," and given a prolonged standing ovation.

Reiterating her appeal for help with the provision that any form of investment in the country needed to be "democracy- friendly and human rights-friendly", Suu Kyi said her people wanted Myanmar to become like "a bit of Oxford-ian Shangri La". — PTI