ID :
16745
Sat, 08/23/2008 - 07:39
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http://m.oananews.org//node/16745
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Crisis for Pak coalition eases, Sharif defers dealine
Islamabad, Aug 22 (PTI) The crisis surrounding the coalition government in Pakistan eased a bit Friday with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif deferring the deadline on the reinstatement judges sacked by former President PervezMusharraf till Wednesday.
Sharif's decision to yield on his threat to pull out of the ruling coalition if the judges were not not reinstated by today came after some mediation by coalition partners Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Awami NationalParty President Asfandyar Wali Khan.
"The judges should have been restored within 24 hours of Musharraf's ouster through a (parliamentary) resolution. Musharraf resigned on August 18 and the judges should technically have been reinstated on August 19. But this did not happen," he said after discussions with the twoleaders this afternoon.
Nawaz Sharif and who had earlier set today as the deadline for reinstating judges deposed by former President Pervez Musharraf during last year's emergency, said the matter should now be settled by Wednesday through a resolution to be presented in the National Assembly orlower house of parliament.
"We have now said that since the next two days are holidays, the resolution (for reinstating the deposedjudges) should be tabled in the National Assembly on Monday.
"After that, there should be a debate on the resolution on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the resolution should be passed and the judges restored," said Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (P.M.L.(N) is the second largest constituent in the ruling coalition, after discussionswith the two coalition partners.
Referring to his agreement on the issue with ruling Pakistan People's Party chief Asif Ali Zardari, Sharif said that his party had agreed to wait till Friday as a committee comprising Rehman and Khan was formed to address the issue ofthe deposed judges.
Sharif had threatened to pull out of the alliance and sit in the opposition if the P.P.P.-led government did not actby Friday to reinstate the judges.
In the face of the P.M.L.-N's threat, the Pakistan Peoples Party (P.P.P.) had floated a proposal to resolve the judges'issue through a parliamentary debate. Though the P.P.P.
initially planned to introduce a resolution for the parliamentary debate today, it dropped the plan following astrong protest from the P.M.L.-N.
The P.M.L.-N and P.P.P. had agreed on August 7 that the deposed judges would be reinstated immediately after the ouster of Musharraf from office. After Musharraf resigned on Monday to avoid impeachment by the ruling coalition, theP.M.L.-N asked the PPP to deliver on this commitment.
The P.M.L.-N had pulled its nine ministers out of the cabinet in May after the government failed to meet two earlierdeadlines for reinstating the deposed judges.
Zardari is reportedly not keen on reinstating deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as he might scrap the National Reconciliation Ordinance, a controversial law issued last year by Musharraf to drop graftcharges against P.P.P. leaders.
The P.P.P. and P.M.L.-N are also divided on the issue of providing indemnity to Musharraf for his actions during his rule. However, Sharif has said he was not against Musharraf leaving Pakistan though some of his supporters wanted to seethe former President in jail.
"If he wants to go (out of Pakistan), I won't stand in his way…He might want to take a break," Sharif said in aninterview.
He also made sarcastic remarks about Musharraf said the Parliament should compensate him if he has been "wronged" adding in the same breath that there was no no transparency inthe sacking of judges by Musharraf.
Sharif's decision to yield on his threat to pull out of the ruling coalition if the judges were not not reinstated by today came after some mediation by coalition partners Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Awami NationalParty President Asfandyar Wali Khan.
"The judges should have been restored within 24 hours of Musharraf's ouster through a (parliamentary) resolution. Musharraf resigned on August 18 and the judges should technically have been reinstated on August 19. But this did not happen," he said after discussions with the twoleaders this afternoon.
Nawaz Sharif and who had earlier set today as the deadline for reinstating judges deposed by former President Pervez Musharraf during last year's emergency, said the matter should now be settled by Wednesday through a resolution to be presented in the National Assembly orlower house of parliament.
"We have now said that since the next two days are holidays, the resolution (for reinstating the deposedjudges) should be tabled in the National Assembly on Monday.
"After that, there should be a debate on the resolution on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the resolution should be passed and the judges restored," said Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (P.M.L.(N) is the second largest constituent in the ruling coalition, after discussionswith the two coalition partners.
Referring to his agreement on the issue with ruling Pakistan People's Party chief Asif Ali Zardari, Sharif said that his party had agreed to wait till Friday as a committee comprising Rehman and Khan was formed to address the issue ofthe deposed judges.
Sharif had threatened to pull out of the alliance and sit in the opposition if the P.P.P.-led government did not actby Friday to reinstate the judges.
In the face of the P.M.L.-N's threat, the Pakistan Peoples Party (P.P.P.) had floated a proposal to resolve the judges'issue through a parliamentary debate. Though the P.P.P.
initially planned to introduce a resolution for the parliamentary debate today, it dropped the plan following astrong protest from the P.M.L.-N.
The P.M.L.-N and P.P.P. had agreed on August 7 that the deposed judges would be reinstated immediately after the ouster of Musharraf from office. After Musharraf resigned on Monday to avoid impeachment by the ruling coalition, theP.M.L.-N asked the PPP to deliver on this commitment.
The P.M.L.-N had pulled its nine ministers out of the cabinet in May after the government failed to meet two earlierdeadlines for reinstating the deposed judges.
Zardari is reportedly not keen on reinstating deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as he might scrap the National Reconciliation Ordinance, a controversial law issued last year by Musharraf to drop graftcharges against P.P.P. leaders.
The P.P.P. and P.M.L.-N are also divided on the issue of providing indemnity to Musharraf for his actions during his rule. However, Sharif has said he was not against Musharraf leaving Pakistan though some of his supporters wanted to seethe former President in jail.
"If he wants to go (out of Pakistan), I won't stand in his way…He might want to take a break," Sharif said in aninterview.
He also made sarcastic remarks about Musharraf said the Parliament should compensate him if he has been "wronged" adding in the same breath that there was no no transparency inthe sacking of judges by Musharraf.
