Nawaz sticks to deadline, quits pak govt

Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 2:08 am

Pakistan’s fragile coalition split today (August 25) with Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League (N) withdrawing support to the PPP-led government accusing it of reneging on the promise to reinstate sacked judges.

“The promises made to us were not honoured by the PPP,” Sharif, a former Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif told a packed press conference.

The six-month-old coalition has been tethering on the brink of collapse following sharp differences between Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on the issue of reinstatement of judges sacked by the then President Pervez Musharraf in March last year.

“The PPP has forced us to withdraw support and sit in the opposition,” the 59-year-old leader said.

However, he said, PML(N) will act as a “constructive opposition” and will continue efforts to bring genuine democracy in Pakistan.

PML-N also announced the candidature of former Pakistan Chief Justice Saeed-uz Zaman Siddiqui for Presidential elections on September 6.

Sharif accused Zardari of violating an agreement on fielding a non-partisan candidate for the post of President if it was not stripped of sweeping powers to dissolve the parliament and dismiss the Prime Minister.

The PPP has fielded Zardari as its candidate for the President’s post.

Siddiqui was the Chief Justice when Sharif was deposed as Prime Minister by Musharraf in a 1999 military coup. He was forced to step down from his post after he refused to endorse Musharraf’s actions.

“We, therefore, feel that these repeated defaults and violations have forced to us to withdraw our support from the ruling coalition and sit on the opposition benches,” the two-time former premier said.

The split between the two main parties in the ruling coalition had been expected for some time as the PPP had repeatedly failed to honour its agreements with the PML-N to reinstate the deposed judges.

The two parties were also divided on the issue of providing indemnity to Musharraf following his resignation last week shortly before the National Assembly was to take up impeachement motion against him.

Sharif had set today as the deadline for restoring the deposed judges through a parliamentary resolution, but Zardari said no timeframe could be set for this purpose.

The PML-N was also upset by Zardari’s comments that the PPP’s agreements with it restoring the judges were not holy scripture and could be altered to suit the evolving political situation.

Zardari has also said that Musharraf was “welcome to stay” in Pakistan and parliament would decide on granting him indemnity, remarks that have infuriated Sharif.

Accusing Zardari of going back on his word, Sharif said soon after the coalition government was firmed up, it was decided that the judges would be restored within 30 days but nothing had happened.

Zardari had then promised, during talks with him in Dubai that the judges will be reinstated on May 12 and Sharif said he had made an announcement to this effect at a press conference in Lahore.

This date too passed without any action forcing Sharif to pull out nine ministers belonging to his party from the government, which was sworn in on March 31.

Sharif, who was deposed as premier in a military coup by Musharraf in 1999, said his party would “nor rest” till the judges were restored.

(PTI)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Nawaz sticks to deadline, quits pak govt

From World:

Todays news from World News Alerts

Advertisement

Email Subscription

Advertisement