Hectic political activities are under way following the announcement of the ruling coalition to impeach President Pervez Musharraf under Article 47 of the Constitution. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Quaid Nawaz Sharif, who dashed to Lahore on Thursday night, held consultations with his close aides on Friday at his Raiwind residence.
Nawaz also remained in touch with the coalition partners and his partymen, who participated in a meeting with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders at Zardari House in Islamabad Friday, sources in the PML-N told Business Recorder. The meeting was called to finalise a strategy for the impeachment of President Musharraf, they added.
Sources claimed that a group of the PML-Q legislators had shown willingness to extend full support to the ruling coalition in its efforts to impeach Musharraf. Their formal announcement was expected soon, the sources added. It may be mentioned that the PML-Q forward block legislators in the Punjab Assembly had already announced full support to the PML-N-led coalition government in Punjab.
The resolution, passed by the Punjab Assembly on Thursday pressing the Federal government to restrain President from exercising the power under Article 58-2-b of the Constitution for dissolving assemblies and imposing the governor's rule in the province, was moved by the PML-Q (forward block) legislator Raja Shaukat Aziz Bhatti. The PML-N leaders claimed that people of the country were not only "happy," but were also fully at the back of coalition partners in its efforts to impeach President Musharraf. They claimed that quite a good number of the PML-Q legislators would also fully support the impeachment motion.
PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, who is member of the National Assembly, said that the charge-sheet of democratic forces against President Pervez Musharraf was 100-percent correct and based on facts. He said: "Every step taken by Pervez Musharraf since October 12, 1999, was violative of the Constitution, but strangely enough he is asking as to what violation of Constitution he has committed."
Hamza said agreement among the democratic forces on all-important issues, especially on impeachment of the President and restoration of judges had dealt severe blow to anti-democratic forces.
He said the ruling coalition, by taking clear stance on important issues, had foiled machinations of those who were manoeuvring to create dissension in the coalition and break it. In case of clash with the democratic forces and parliament, President Pervez Musharraf would suffer, he warned.
Hamza further said President Musharraf had reached closed street and it was his own friends to blame for it as they had brought him to this stage. Punjab Minister for Finance and Planning and Development Tanvir Ashraf Kaira said that impeachment was the need of the hour and the process of impeachment would be completed successfully for which the coalition government had more numbers game than required.
Kaira told reporters here on Friday that the coalition government had decided to start impeachment process immediately and the leaders of ruling parties had won the hearts of people by deciding impeachment and it was indeed a political decision, which would be resulted in very fruitful.
He said that it was a historic decision and the present government would also fulfil the promise to reinstate the deposed judges according to Murree Declaration. He said that democracy was very strong and no one would dare dissolve assemblies now.
Central Finance Secretary of the PML-N Muhammad Pervaiz Malik has said that impeachment of Pervez Musharraf would lead to end of uncertainty and confusion from the country. He said the PML-Q was not in a position to save Pervez Musharraf, therefore, he (Musharraf) should himself resign before impeachment motion was moved against him. He said departure of Pervez Musharraf would leave positive impact on the country's economy and those standing with him would be frustrated.
Malik said the whole nation was with the democratic forces as their efforts were aimed at strengthening democratic processes and putting an end to uncertainty and instability. He said Pervez Musharraf was not in a position to defend himself from the charge sheet against him.
On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) leaders said the opposition would strongly defend any move to impeach the President. They said the coalition set-up was not paying attention on issues being faced by the people of Pakistan and impeachment issue had been raised just to divert public attention from real issues being faced by the countrymen.
Moreover, analysts say the decision of ruling coalition has raised political stature of Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. According to them, there was a shift in the earlier stance of both the PPP and PML-N. Earlier, the PML-N was according priority to judges' reinstatement, but now after Thursday's decision of coalition partners, it had become priority No-II. Analysts say Asif Ali Zardari played his cards close to the chest and finally emerge as a matured political leader.