London, UK, February 26 2009 – Pakistan’s Supreme Court yesterday
disqualified both Sharif brothers from politics and in effect removed
Shahbaz Sharif as the Chief Minister of Punjab. President Asif Ali
Zardari has directed Punjab’s Governor Salman Taseer to impose
Governor’s rule for two months with immediate effect under Article 234
of Pakistan’s Constitution.
Reacting to these developments, Taji Mustafa, Media representative of Hizb ut Tahrir Britain said “Once again Pakistan’s political system has shown why it is a complete and utter failure. In a throwback echoing the political fighting of the 1990s, Pakistan’s politicians have once again demonstrated why they are incapable of looking after the affairs of their people. It is a widely known and acknowledged within Pakistan that both the Sharif brothers and Zardari are failed corrupt politicians. Despite this, Pakistan’s political system continues to offer more of the same. It is remarkable that despite a Western brokered political marriage between the two sides, the Zardari regime has brought affairs to such a state that within months of assuming power, their infighting has dramatically come into full public view. This is despite the much vaunted promises made by both the PPP and PML-N after last year’s election and their ‘Charter of Democracy’. In fact Pakistan’s Democracy has shown it is a complete farce and a cruel joke on the people of Pakistan.”
“All of this political manoeuvring and fighting is happening at a time when the country is facing unprecedented crisises of epic proportions. Pakistan is under attack from a foreign power on its western border on an almost daily basis; America is continuing to bomb and kill inside Pakistan. Yet despite this Pakistan’s people face the surreal situation whereby the Zardari regime continues to collude with the Americans by providing the supply lines that provide at least 80% of the fuel, weapons and food that is needed by the American war machine in Afghanistan. The regime continues to allow America to operate numerous bases throughout the country from which the air drone attacks originate. On the eastern border, a hostile India is also threatening to attack Pakistan and continues to issue belligerent statements while the Zardari regime continues to talk of partnership.”
“Internally, the country is being torn apart with routine bombings and assassinations as Pakistan’s own army continues to attack it’s own people in the NWFP and Balochistan tribal areas. Economically, the country faces ruin as its foreign exchange reserves run down, it’s trade deficit soars and its manufacturing output falls away. Pakistan’s people face soaring electricity power cuts of up to 18 hours a day, gas load shedding, wheat and petrol shortages while prices continue to rise at an unabated pace. Pakistan’s rulers remain clueless as to how to arrest this economic collapse; their only solution has been to mortgage the country to the IMF. Pakistan’s external debt has now reached a record $60 billion and faces crippling IMF imposed taxes and spending cuts. A civil war is in the making yet Pakistan’s politicians continue their petty fighting over greed and lust for power.”
“Pakistan’s problems can never be solved by these politicians or by democracy; military rule also failed to solve Pakistan’s problems. Only the complete removal of this political system, which breeds such corrupt rulers like Zardari and Musharraf, can now solve Pakistan’s crisis. At such a critical time the re-establishment of the Khilafah can solve Pakistan’s many problems and ensure that the meddling of Washington and London is put to an end. Islam is a natural binding force for the Muslims of Pakistan and it’s time is now here.”
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