ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Sherry Rehman resigned yesterday amid a deepening political crisis over the government’s refusal to reinstate judges sacked under emergency rule, officials said.
Rehman, considered a confidante of President Asif Ali Zardari and also spokeswoman of assassinated ex-Premier Benazir Bhutto, reportedly stepped down over differences over media curbs.
An official at Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s office said Rehman was annoyed about being by-passed in matters relating to the media.
“She resigned verbally last night and today she met the prime minister and handed over her resignation to him,” the official said. Pakistan’s daily The News reported that Rehman resigned “in protest” after she failed to convince Zardari to lift a ban on private Geo television.
Pakistan’s flagship private television channel said its cable transmission had been blocked on Zardari’s orders because of its coverage of the protests, but the government flatly denied any responsibility.
The crisis had drawn world attention with some fearing army intervention. But, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the American PBS network on Friday Pakistan’s Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani is unlikely to launch a military takeover to end the ongoing political crisis. “He is committed to a civilian government. He is committed to the democracy that’s there,”
“He does want to stay out of politics. He wants to do the right thing for Pakistan and he’s in a very, very tough spot,” Mullen said.
— With input from agencies
