Pakistan court debates possibility of secular state
Can Islamic Republic of Pakistan be a secular state? The question was raised by Pakistan’s Chief Justice Nasir-ulMulk while hearing petitions challenging the procedure for appointment of superior court judges under the 18th Amendment and establishment of military courts under the 21st Amendment to try terrorists. Mulk wondered if article 2 of the Constitution stating Islam as state religion can be replaced with secularism and asked could it be done by the present parliament or a Constituent Assembly would be needed, Dawn newspaper reported.
Barely hours before voting on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg caused a flutter across political circles on Tuesday by suggesting that another election was likely before Christmas since “everyone knows that no one will win this election”.
As leaders criss-crossed the country to appear at carefully choreographed events to make final appeals for votes, Clegg issued a statement that quickly went viral. Mention of another election was quickly interpreted as an appeal for stability with his party joining another coalition.
Clegg said, “Everybody knows that no one will win this election — even if David Cameron and Ed Miliband won’t admit it publicly. That means that politicians will have to work together to put the country first”.
“The Liberal Democrats have shown that coalitions can be strong. But instead of creating stability, Labour and the Conservatives will create a shambles... The last thing Britain needs is a second election before Christmas. But that is exactly what will happen if Ed Miliband and David Cameron put their political interest ahead of national interest. The only party that will ensure stability is the Liberal Democrats,” he said.
The reality is that after the Fixed-term Parliament Act was passed in 2011, a mid-term election is not possible unless a motion for an early general election is agreed either by at least two-thirds of the whole House or without division or; a motion of no confidence is passed and no alternative government is confirmed by the Commons within 14 days.
As former PM Gordon Brown joined Labour leaders to seek a clear majority, the Liberal Democrats issued another statement setting out the difficult issues that would arise if a minority government were to come to power after Thursday’s elections. LABOUR: Stephen Fry, David Tennant, Delia Smith, Martin Freeman, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Steve Coogan, Paul O’Grady GREEN: Joanna Lumley CONSERVATIVE: Stuart Rose, Paul S Walsh
Some farmers in the mostly agricultural constituency of Richmond in Yorkshire resent that the Conservative candidate, Rishi Sunak, is not a local, but few doubt that he will win in what is considered the party’s safest seat in England.
The Conservative party has held the seat uninterrupted since 1910, with senior party leader William Hague winning in 2010 with a margin of over 23,000 votes. Hague is retiring from politics. Sunak, 34, may not enjoy similar support, but his victory is not in question.
Son-in-law of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy, Sunak is the son of Hampshire-based general practitioner, Yashvir Sunak. A hedgefund manager, he studied at Oxford and Stanford, and met Akshata Murthy in California, where they lived for several years.
Sunak’s selection as the Conservative candidate from the seat surprised many, particularly because of his short association with the party. But he has also been a surprise on the campaign trail, actively meeting and discussing farmers’ issues at auctions.