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Pakistan president fires Bhutto, calls new election
Prime minister's husband, loyalists detained
In this story:
- Interim government installed
- Troops deployed
- Role reversal for Leghari
- Top concern: police killings
- Celebration in the streets
- Related stories and sites
November 5, 1996
Web posted at: 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT)ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- In a pre-dawn move, Pakistan's president Tuesday fired Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, dissolved the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies and appointed a neutral caretaker government.
Accusing her of corruption, nepotism and incompetence, President Farooq Leghari, a former ally, named a former stalwart of Bhutto's party, Miraj Khalid, as interim prime minister.
Soldiers in the Punjab provincial capital of Lahore detained Bhutto's husband and investment minister, Asif Ali Zandari, along with Punjab governor Raja Saroop Khan and 20 other party members.
Zandari is accused of taking commissions for negotiating government deals and stashing away funds abroad.
Interim government installed
Khalid, 80, and a new nine-member cabinet were sworn in Tuesday at the presidential residency, state-run television reported.
"Public faith in the integrity and honesty of the government has disappeared," Leghari said.
Leghari set new elections for February 3 -- nearly two years before Ms. Bhutto's five-year term was to have ended. It was the second time Bhutto has been sacked amid charges of corruption.
Troops deployed
Troops early Tuesday took control of international airports and moved into the capital Islamabad to guard key installations, such as radio and television stations. The streets remained calm.
Isolated in her lavish official residence in the capital, Bhutto, 43, denied the charges against her, and was expected to challenge her dismissal in the Supreme Court. She recently had warned of "a conspiracy against democracy in Pakistan" and had vowed to complete her term, due to end in 1998.
The 10-foot steel gates in front of Bhutto's residence were padlocked, with soldiers on guard and army trucks on the grounds. "Her telephone lines have been disconnected and only her family is allowed to see her," said Javed Mir, spokesman for her Pakistan People's Party.
Role reversal for Leghari
Leghari's role in the drama represents a shift for him from six years ago, when Bhutto was first fired as prime minister. Leghari, then one of Bhutto's closest advisers and her power and water minister, stood behind her.
Many political observers had thought loyalty would prevent Leghari from dismissing her, but in the end, he was swayed by the charges against her.
Khalid, the interim prime minister, was speaker of the National Assembly when he retired from politics after clashing with Ms. Bhutto, who found him too independent.
A respected and loyal member of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, Khalid stepped down quietly rather than publicly challenge Bhutto.
There was speculation Bhutto and other members of her government would be legally barred from participating in politics, and Leghari's dismissal order included detailed allegations that could be used to bolster such a move.
Top concern: police killings
Topping the list of charges against Bhutto, Leghari said the prime minister had not taken any meaningful steps to stop police killings, a reference to the death of Bhutto's estranged brother who was killed in a fusillade of police bullets last month.
He also accused her of destroying the independence of the judiciary, illegally tapping the phone lines of her rivals, neglecting to consult him and violating the constitution by selling off shares in state-run enterprises.
Leghari had earlier accused Bhutto of financial mismanagement. Only recently did she give up the post of finance minister, which she had held since her election in 1993.
Bhutto first came to power in Pakistan's first free elections in 11 years after military dictator Zia-ul Haq died in a 1988 plane crash. Her first term ended abruptly in 1990 after only 20 months in office. She used mass demonstrations to orchestrate the early dismissal of her successor, Nawaz Sharif, and she regained office in 1993.
Since then, she has confronted sectarian violence, her brother's death, and relentless violence in Karachi, the country's biggest city and financial capital.
Celebration in the streets
In an Islamic gesture of thanksgiving, joyous activists of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League slit the throat of a goat outside party headquarters.
"I think it is the government which is responsible for inviting the situation," Pakistani opposition leader Sharif said Tuesday.
In Bhutto's hometown of Karachi, people celebrated in the streets, marching, chanting and firing rifles into the air.
Correspondent Anita Pratap, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Pakistan president fires Bhutto, dissolves assembly - November 4, 1996
- Violence erupts as thousands demand resignation of Pakistan's PM - October 27, 1996
- Benazir Bhutto accused by critics in brother's death - September 21, 1996
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