ISLAMABAD, 2 August 2007 — The lawyer representing exiled former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif will petition the Supreme Court today seeking the court’s ruling for their return to Pakistan.
Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim, representing the former premier and his brother, told reporters in Islamabad that the petition could not be filed yesterday because it had not been prepared on time. “We have taken the plea that Nawaz and Shahbaz are bona fide citizens of Pakistan and hence cannot be forced to stay out of the country,” he said.
President of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Q) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said on Tuesday that the two brothers could return to Pakistan without signing any deal. However, Pakistan’s People Party leader Navid Qamar lashed back at Hussain’s comments saying this was a move by the PML (Q) to dent the PPP’s vote bank. He added that the concession needed to be endorsed by the president.
Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid told Arab News on Tuesday that the Benazir-Musharraf meeting in Abu Dhabi was not conclusive. “A few things still need to be sorted out. But we hope the PPP’s inclusion in the mainstream will curtail extremism,” said Rashid.
Replying to a question that the PPP had offered him a ticket to contest elections in Rawalpindi, Rashid said he would contest elections on a PML ticket, adding that the coming months would determine the country’s politics.
The PPP has named its candidates in certain constituencies. Aitzaz Ahsan, who has been Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s lawyer, has been named by the PPP as its candidate in Lahore, a pro-Nawaz Sharif stronghold.
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Sher Afgan told Arab News that President Pervez Musharraf has taken into confidence Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and PML (Q) Secretary-General Mushahid Hussain over his meeting with Benazir.
Sher Afgan said the deal would be successful if Musharraf removes his uniform and campaigns for re-election as a civilian candidate. He added that a set of legislations were in the offing that would facilitate the deal and allow the president to hold office. New amendments would also waive the condition for the president to wait for two years before joining politics after he has quit the army post. Afgan said the new amendments to the constitution would be backed by the PPP.
Former cricketer, Imran Khan, leader of Tehrik-e-Insaf, told Arab News on Tuesday, “Musharraf and Benazir will gain nothing from any deal, rather their position will be weakened.”
