C ommo nwe a l t h memb e r c o u n t r i e s Musharraf came under increasing international pressure to restore the country’s constitution and abide by the timetable for free and fair parliamentary elections. CMAG convened in Kampala on 22 November 2007 and suspended Pakistan from the councils of the Commonwealth, pending the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in that country. Musharraf appointed a new chief justice and a caretaker Prime Minister, Muhammad Mian Soomro. He resigned as army chief and was sworn in as President for a five-year term. The state of emergency was lifted in December 2007. Nawaz Sharif, exiled leader of PML-N, at his second attempt in the same year, was allowed to return. By end November 2007, both he and Bhutto had registered to participate in the following parliamentary elections. On 27 December 2007, as she was leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi, Bhutto was assassinated. Violence erupted throughout the country. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir’s son, was chosen as her eventual successor; her husband Asif Ali Zardari was to lead the PPPP, as co-chair, until Bilawal had completed his education. The elections due for January were postponed. The parliamentary elections were held in February 2008; the turnout was 44 per cent. Opposition parties won the most seats – PPPP won 125 seats and PML-N 91 – but no party had an absolute majority. The party supporting Musharraf, PML-Q, suffered huge losses, taking only 53 seats and many former ministers lost their seats. With no party securing a clear majority, PPPP, PML-N, Awami National Party (ANP, ten seats) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F, six seats) formed a coalition government headed by PPPP’s Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, as Prime Minister. On 12 May 2008, CMAG met in London and agreed that, since it last met in November 2007, the Government of Pakistan had taken positive steps to fulfil its obligations in accordance with Commonwealth fundamental values and principles. It accordingly restored Pakistan as a full member of the Commonwealth. In the face of warnings by the PPPP and PML-N leadership of impeachment by parliament, Musharraf announced his resignation as President in August 2008. In the ensuing presidential election, PPPP co-chair Zardari was elected to replace Musharraf in September 2008. Zardari (securing 481 electoral college votes) defeated PML-N’s candidate, Saeed-uz-zaman Siddiqui (153 votes), and PML-Q’s Mushahid Hussain Syed (44). In the lead-up to the election PML-N left the governing coalition, which then comprised PPPP, ANP, JUI-F and Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Nine PML-N ministers resigned shortly after the presidential election, citing the apparent reluctance of the PPPP to reinstate judges previously dismissed during the 2007 state of emergency. The move effectively ended the PPPP- and PML-N-dominated coalition government and saw the beginning of a new one, consisting of the PPPP, ANP, JUI-F and MQM. In late February 2009 the Supreme Court confirmed the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shabhaz from holding elected office. Following the verdict, governor’s rule was imposed in Punjab Province, where Shabhaz Sharif had held the post of chief minister, and Nawaz Sharif allied himself with the lawyers’ movement which had been campaigning for the reinstatement of the chief justice, asserting that the Supreme Court verdict demonstrated the lack of an independent judiciary. Confronted by the prospect of large-scale popular unrest, in March 2009 the government announced the reinstatement of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and requested a review of the Supreme Court judgment that had disqualified the Sharifs from holding elected office. In May 2009 the Supreme Court reversed the judgment and Shabhaz Sharif was reinstated as chief minister in Punjab Province. In July 2009 the Supreme Court quashed Nawaz Sharif’s convictions of hijacking and terrorism (brought against him following the military coup of October 1999). In November 2009 the Supreme Court revoked the National Reconciliation Ordinances of October 2007 which had granted immunity to those officials and politicians who had been charged with corruption and other offences. The revocation of the ordinances revived corruption charges against many of its beneficiaries. On 26 April 2012 the Supreme Court convicted Prime Minister Gilani of contempt of court, following his refusal to request the Swiss authorities to reopen a moneylaundering case against President Zardari, and on 19 June 2012 the Supreme Court disqualified Gilani from office. On 22 June Raja Pervez Ashraf was elected by parliament to succeed Gilani as Prime Minister. On completion of the National Assembly’s five-year term in March 2013, national and provincial elections were called for 11 May 2013, and Mir Hazar Khan Khoso was sworn in as caretaker Prime Minister. In the elections, when turnout was 55 per cent, PML-N, led by Nawaz Sharif, took 184 of 323 Assembly seats (with 32.8 per cent of the votes); PPPP 42 (15.2 per cent); Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, 30 (16.9 per cent); MQM 23 (5.4 per cent); JUI-F 12 (3.2 per cent); and independents eight (13 per cent). On 5 June 2013 parliamentarians elected Sharif Prime Minister (with 244 votes); his closest rivals were Makhdoom Amin Fahim of PPPP (42) and Makhdoom Javed Hashmi of PTI (31). The presidential election held on 30 July 2013 was won by the PML-N’s candidate, Mamnoon Hussain, who secured 432 electoral college votes, defeating Wajihuddin Ahmed of the PTI (77 votes). The PPPP did not field a candidate. Local government There are three spheres of government in Pakistan: federal, provincial and local, as provided for by the constitution. The Commonwealth Governance Handbook 2013/14 236
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