Heads of two major parties in the ruling coalition on Tuesday announced to reinstate top judges President Pervez Musharraf removed last year according to their earlier understanding but differed on what should follow, sources said.
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and former premier Nawaz Sharif denied deadlock over how jurists, including deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry could be restored after their third meeting in as many days here.
"The coalition partners hereby declare that there is complete harmony on issues including the issue of restoration of deposed judges," said a joint statement after they met.
Law Minister Farooq H Naek, who read the communiqué to media, said two leaders had decided to form a six-member, three from each side, committee to finalise the exact mechanism of restoration. Sharif, the chief of his own Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said he wanted to adhere to the deadline for reinstating judges he agreed with Zardari.
The PPP head, however, said he did not believe in such things. Both leaders signed an accord on March 9 in Murree to get judges back to their jobs through a resolution by the National Assembly within 30 days of the swearing-in of new parliament.
Media reports on Monday suggested there was a deadlock over when and how they should implement the agreement. But both appeared to be playing down such reports, saying Murree Declaration would be followed in its true spirit. Naek said those spreading these rumours were not in favour of democracy getting roots in the country and out for a disinformation campaign.
"The desire of those who think this coalition should break up will go unfulfilled," Sharif said. Later in the evening, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told a joint meeting of the National Assembly members from all four coalition parties he would not waste a moment to issue the executive order for judges' restoration after the resolution.
Sources in both parties told Business Recorder the resolution might come on Thursday. PPP parliamentary secretary Izhar Amrohi informed reporters the coalition was firm to bring the resolution in the current session scheduled to be called off on coming Friday. He was briefing media about Gilani's interaction with MPs.
DIFFERENCE: Officials in both parties privy to developments said all was not good with the coalition. They said there were severe differences on how Chaudhry should be dealt with after he was reinstated. The PPP wanted to bring in a constitutional package to reduce the tenure of Supreme Court chief justice to three years.
For Sharif it was a crazy idea that would hurt the credibility of coalition partners both among legal fraternity and public. According to these arrangements, Chaudhry would be retiring in June.
HEAD ON WITH MUSHARRAF: Both leaders also appeared to be having different thoughts over whether and when they should move to curtail remaining powers Musharraf still enjoyed.
Sharif said he wanted to deprive Musharraf of discretion of dissolving assemblies as soon as possible. Zardari said he would prefer to wait till such time the coalition grew enough strength to accomplish the task. The ruling parties do have numbers to alter the constitution in the National Assembly but lacks the ability in the Senate, a must for the move. Indirect elections for the upper house are scheduled for early next year.
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