Once 'dumped' as persona non grata and 'outcast' in the Pakistan Peoples Party by the inner circles of President Asif Ali Zardari till recently, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan is now sitting on the driving seat of the PPP government and dictating his terms as he appears before the Supreme Court today (Thursday) to defend the embattled Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in the contempt of the court case and other self-inflicted troubles.
Aitzaz who successfully defended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in a reference against him before the Supreme Judicial Council in 2007 and played a leading role in the subsequent restoration of the deposed superior judiciary is destined once again to make history by bridging the disastrous and widening gap between the perceptions of the executive and the judiciary with regard to NRO and immunity to the President in civil and criminal cases under Article 248 of the Constitution.
Aitzaz is reported to have put his foot down and stalled offensive induction of Babar Awan in the Cabinet Tuesday evening for the Supreme Court had already told PM Gilani that Awan's elevation to ministerial level would create misunderstanding and make his job difficult.
Political observers say that Aitzaz's appointment as the Prime Minister's defence counsel is a very good omen for political stability of the country as he would never allow the matters to go to the precipice. He is astute, lucid, convincing, capable and in an envious position to bring about rapprochement between two powerful pillars of the State for he has tremendous goodwill in the judiciary.
They hoped that better sense would prevail among PPP hawks led by Babar Awan and mutually respectful working relationship would be established between the rebellious government and an independent judiciary with Aitzaz Ahsan sitting in the driving seat of the government at least in the legal and constitutional matters.
Aitzaz, speaking about his line of defence in the court has already stated that there was no harm in writing a letter to the Swiss authorities about opening of the cases withdrawn after the NRO, as President Asif Ali Zardari enjoyed immunity under Article 248 of the Constitution. Many senior lawyers including eminent jurist Senator S M Zafar in an interview with a private TV channel agreed that the President enjoyed this immunity.
Aitzaz had refused to contest National Assembly election in 2008 from Lahore on PPP ticket on the direction of the Supreme Court Bar Association though PML (N) leader Nawaz Sharif had declared that his party would not field its candidate against Aitzaz Ahsan.