BY OUR PAKISTAN CORRESPONDENT
WITH AGENCY INPUTS
Islamabad, July 22: Former Premier Nawaz Sharif-led PML(N) has told the Pakistan People’s Party that it will remain in the ruling coalition only if concrete steps are taken by August 15 on four key issues, including the restoration of deposed judges and impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf.
The two other issues the PML(N) has taken up with the PPP are the implementation of the charter of democracy signed by the two parties in 2006 and a review of the policy for the war against terrorism.
The charter of democracy envisages wide-ranging political and constitutional reforms and the setting up of a panel to probe the 1999 Kargil conflict with India.
The PML(N) conveyed its demands in the wake of Mr Nawaz Sharif announcing recently that he intended to have a "final" round of talks with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on resolving differences between the two parties.
"We are extremely disappointed with the performance of the coalition so far," a close aide of Mr Sharif was quoted as saying by the News daily. The aide said Mr Sharif had consulted key PML(N) leaders and friends and made up his mind to leave the coalition if the present situation persists.
"This is an ‘enough is enough-like situation’ for the PML(N)," the aide said, adding his party had "plainly conveyed its intention" to Mr Zardari through emissaries. The PPP has been informed by the PML(N) that the restoration of the judges deposed by President Musharraf tops the list of priorities.
Meanwhile, a lawyers’ leader said the PPP-led government can still save its image by reinstating the superior courts judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf. "The PPP can still take the credit of restoring the November 2 judiciary and recover its image. The PPP’s popularity has gone down due to huge rise in prices of petroleum products and daily use items", Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Aitzaz Ahsan said.
He said that after the reinstatement of the deposed Chief Justice and other judges, the lawyers’ movement will focus on the "wild raise in petroleum prices and dearness of items of daily use".
"The government will be held accountable in the apex courts for minting money out of the miseries of the people", Mr Ahsan, himself a PPP leader, added. The lawyers’ meeting was held in connection with the celebrations of July 20, the day when in 2007 a 13-member bench of the Supreme Court had given a historic decision restoring the then "suspended" Chief Justice of Pakistan.
Mr Ahsan said, "It was an historic moment of March 9, 2007 when the Chief Justice refused to bow down before the authorities and lawyers joined him for the great fight for rule of law. And then the judiciary responded with a historic decision."
He said the SCBA will fight for the rights of people and cases will be filed by SCBA against importers and exporters and the government to know how and why they raise prices daily.
