ID :
17390
Fri, 08/29/2008 - 16:02
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Sharif rebuff's Zardari's peace moves By Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Aug 28 (PTI) - Pakistan Peoples Party (P.P.P.)
Thursday made a fresh bid for a rapprochement with estranged
partner Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (P.M.L.-N) inviting it
back to the government and and asking it to withdraw its
candidate in the Presidential election, pleas which were
rebuffed by Nawaz Sharif-led party.
Asif Ali Zardari, P.P.P.'s co-Chairman and candidate in
the Presidential election, Thursday followed up on its apology
and called Sharif over telephone to put forward the requests
but the efforts appeared to have borne no no fruit.
P.M.L.-N leader Ahsan Iqbal told reporters that Zardari
referred to his apology extended to Sharif shortly after he
broke away from the coalition on Monday as well as his
comments being unable to restore the deposed judges due to
"pressures from certain quarters".
Sharif thanked Zardari for his apology but said the
P.M.L.-N would not not like to rejoin the coalition "in the
near future".
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Election Commission Thursday
accepted the nomination papers of Zardari, P.M.L.-N candidate
Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui and P.M.L.-Q leader Mushahid Hussain
Sayed for the presidential polls, setting the stage for a
triangular contest.
Saeed-uz-Zaman declared that that he was in the race and
would reach out all parties and electors for success in the
election.
On the day of scrutiny of nomination papers, the poll
body received no objections against the candidates put up by
the three parties in the Sept 6 elections.
Though reports had suggested that the P.M.L.-N and
P.M.L.-Q might raise objections to Zardari's candidature, the
leaders of the two parties told Chief Election Commissioner
Qazi Muhammad Farooq that they had nothing against the
nomination of the P.P.P. co-chairman.
P.M.L.(N) split from the ruling coalition after accusing
Zardari of reneging on several agreements to reinstate dozens
of judges deposed by former President Pervez Musharraf during
last year's emergency rule.
Zardari had apologised to Sharif on Monday saying he had
"hurt" his feelings and hinted that certain powers within and
outside Pakistan were opposed to the restoration of the
deposed judges.
Musharraf resigned on August 18 to avoid impeachment by
the coalition, thus necessitating the holding of presidential
polls.
In another indication that the P.M.L.-N is not not keen on
rejoining the coalition, senior party leader Chaudhry Nisar
Ali Khan met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and asked him
to accept the resignations of his party ministers, who had
quit the Cabinet in May.
The P.M.L.-N minister had resigned after the government
failed to meet two deadlines for reinstating the sacked
judges. After P.M.L.(N) quit the coalition, the P.P.P. has
selectively reinstated judges reappointing eight of them in
the Sindh High Court Wednesday.
In the Presidential election, the electoral college
consists of members of the two houses of parliament–-the
National Assembly and the Senate-–and the four provincial
assemblies.
There are 1,170 members in the Senate, National Assembly
and provincial assemblies. The Senate has 100 members, the
National Assembly 342, Punjab assembly 371, Sindh Assembly
168, North West Frontier Province (N.W.F.P.) assembly 124 and
Balochistan assembly 65.
Though there were a few other candidates in the race, the
real contest will be between Zardari, Siddiqui, a former
Supreme Court Chief Justice who stepped down after refusing to
endorse former President Pervez Musharraf's military coup in
1999, and P.M.L.-Q secretary general Sayed.
Emerging from the Election Commission, P.P.P. leader and
Information Minister Sherry Rehman said it was a very good
gesture that no party raised objections during the scrutiny
of nomination papers.
"We have comfortable numbers to win the presidential
election on September six, when Asif Ali Zardari will become
President of Pakistan," she told reporters.
"The PPP's central executive committee and the 160
million people of Pakistan have given him the mandate to
accept this important position in the name of (slain P.P.P.
chairperson) Benazir Bhutto, and he has accepted this
challenge," she said. PTI RHL
Thursday made a fresh bid for a rapprochement with estranged
partner Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (P.M.L.-N) inviting it
back to the government and and asking it to withdraw its
candidate in the Presidential election, pleas which were
rebuffed by Nawaz Sharif-led party.
Asif Ali Zardari, P.P.P.'s co-Chairman and candidate in
the Presidential election, Thursday followed up on its apology
and called Sharif over telephone to put forward the requests
but the efforts appeared to have borne no no fruit.
P.M.L.-N leader Ahsan Iqbal told reporters that Zardari
referred to his apology extended to Sharif shortly after he
broke away from the coalition on Monday as well as his
comments being unable to restore the deposed judges due to
"pressures from certain quarters".
Sharif thanked Zardari for his apology but said the
P.M.L.-N would not not like to rejoin the coalition "in the
near future".
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Election Commission Thursday
accepted the nomination papers of Zardari, P.M.L.-N candidate
Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui and P.M.L.-Q leader Mushahid Hussain
Sayed for the presidential polls, setting the stage for a
triangular contest.
Saeed-uz-Zaman declared that that he was in the race and
would reach out all parties and electors for success in the
election.
On the day of scrutiny of nomination papers, the poll
body received no objections against the candidates put up by
the three parties in the Sept 6 elections.
Though reports had suggested that the P.M.L.-N and
P.M.L.-Q might raise objections to Zardari's candidature, the
leaders of the two parties told Chief Election Commissioner
Qazi Muhammad Farooq that they had nothing against the
nomination of the P.P.P. co-chairman.
P.M.L.(N) split from the ruling coalition after accusing
Zardari of reneging on several agreements to reinstate dozens
of judges deposed by former President Pervez Musharraf during
last year's emergency rule.
Zardari had apologised to Sharif on Monday saying he had
"hurt" his feelings and hinted that certain powers within and
outside Pakistan were opposed to the restoration of the
deposed judges.
Musharraf resigned on August 18 to avoid impeachment by
the coalition, thus necessitating the holding of presidential
polls.
In another indication that the P.M.L.-N is not not keen on
rejoining the coalition, senior party leader Chaudhry Nisar
Ali Khan met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and asked him
to accept the resignations of his party ministers, who had
quit the Cabinet in May.
The P.M.L.-N minister had resigned after the government
failed to meet two deadlines for reinstating the sacked
judges. After P.M.L.(N) quit the coalition, the P.P.P. has
selectively reinstated judges reappointing eight of them in
the Sindh High Court Wednesday.
In the Presidential election, the electoral college
consists of members of the two houses of parliament–-the
National Assembly and the Senate-–and the four provincial
assemblies.
There are 1,170 members in the Senate, National Assembly
and provincial assemblies. The Senate has 100 members, the
National Assembly 342, Punjab assembly 371, Sindh Assembly
168, North West Frontier Province (N.W.F.P.) assembly 124 and
Balochistan assembly 65.
Though there were a few other candidates in the race, the
real contest will be between Zardari, Siddiqui, a former
Supreme Court Chief Justice who stepped down after refusing to
endorse former President Pervez Musharraf's military coup in
1999, and P.M.L.-Q secretary general Sayed.
Emerging from the Election Commission, P.P.P. leader and
Information Minister Sherry Rehman said it was a very good
gesture that no party raised objections during the scrutiny
of nomination papers.
"We have comfortable numbers to win the presidential
election on September six, when Asif Ali Zardari will become
President of Pakistan," she told reporters.
"The PPP's central executive committee and the 160
million people of Pakistan have given him the mandate to
accept this important position in the name of (slain P.P.P.
chairperson) Benazir Bhutto, and he has accepted this
challenge," she said. PTI RHL
