Heads of two major parties in the ruling coalition on Tuesday reaffirmed pledge to reinstate deposed judges according to their Bhurban Declaration but failed to give a firm date.
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief, Nawaz Sharif met here to resolve differences recently emerged on the mechanism of judges' restoration.
Awami National Party (ANP) President, Asfandyar Wali Khan also attended the meeting but Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam (JUI) Chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman stayed away due to illness. Information Minister Sherry Rehman told media after the meeting that the two leaders had also discussed Pakistan's fight on terror and expressed concern over recent incidents of sabotage in Karachi and Multan.
A handout quoted them calling these events as "conspiracies hatched by antidemocratic forces" and said they had resolved to foil them with the help of the people. Neither the statement nor any of two PPP leaders who spoke to reporters outside the private residence of Zardari where the meeting took place explained who these antidemocratic elements were.
The statement said three leaders had decided to continue negotiations with those elements in lawless tribal areas who were no more challenging the government's authority and had laid down weapons. The meeting, the statement said, reiterated the commitment made in the Bhurban Declaration to the restoration of judges.
Both Zardari and Nawaz agreed in Murree on March 9 to reinstate judges including deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry through a resolution by the parliament within 30 days of the swearing-in of the new government of their two parties.
But media reports and statements by some leaders in both parties recently suggested there were differences over how judges should get back to jobs.
The PPP suggested the formation of either a cabinet or the parliamentary committee while the PML-N remained firm on a resolution by the National Assembly.
It was not clear what was transpired between Zardari and Nawaz in the meeting to sort out this problem but PPP spokesperson former senator Farhatullah Babar said they had decided to resolve the matter within the timeframe in the original accord.
Zardari was assisted in talks by PPP leaders Sherry Rehman, Farhatullah Babar, Khursheed Shah, Raza Rabbani and Raja Parvez Ashraf. While PML-N leaders Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal were with Nawaz Sharif. ANP Information Secretary, former senator Zahid Khan joined the talks together with Wali.
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