At a time when everyone is genuinely disturbed by the prevailing political and economic uncertainty, the top political leadership Pakistan and those at the helm of affairs are out of the country, on one pretext or another, said a news report. Not only the heads of the two main coalition parties, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), are abroad, the prime minister along with almost half of his cabinet is conspicuously absent from Pakistan as well, the report carried by The News said. As a sense of gloom descends upon the masses and hopes in the political leadership of Pakistan fade, the most powerful political figure - Asif Ali Zardari - has chosen to stay away from the country. Custodians of the two houses of parliament are away too. Speaker National Assembly Fehmida Mirza is in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and Senate Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro is in the United States. Zardari had visited Turkey, Greece and London and is now in Dubai and is going back to London with no schedule for his return in sight. PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said Zardari was originally scheduled to return on July 4 but his return was later postponed. He said Zardari may proceed to London from Dubai and in that case he would possibly return by July 12. Otherwise, he predicted, Zardari could return in a day or two. Instead of returning home from Malaysia, the prime minister along with his delegation flew to Dubai where Zardari had convened an important meeting of his key party men and wanted Gilani to attend. At least, three federal ministers - Sherry Rehman, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Syed Khurshid Shah - were also summoned to Dubai. Gilani's entourage does not include any federal minister but Hina Rabbani Khar, who is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Finance and Economic Affairs, is with him. Several senior bureaucrats, including Principal Secretary to Premier Siraj Shamsuddin and Additional Secretary Prime Minister's Secretariat Abdul Malik Abdullah, are also accompanying Gilani on this foreign tour. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has gone to the United States to take up the issue of Benazir Bhutto's murder probe with the United Nation's Secretary General. Qureshi is scheduled to return on July 17. Law Minister Farooq A Naek is not in Pakistan also. He has gone to London to attend an international conference. Naek would be back on July 14. PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif is in London in connection with the treatment of his wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz. He had gone to London on July 3 and his return is also unclear. There is no fixed date for Sharif's return. He wanted to be present during some important stages of her spouse's treatment. Sharif is to travel to the United States later this month on a “private visit”. The implications of this absence for the continuing political impasse on the judges' issue will become manifest in the coming days. PML-N senior leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is also in London and there is no indication of his return schedule. While there is no “give” by the Pakistan People's Party on the judges' issue, pressure from within the PML-N is mounting for rejoining the federal government. __
