ISLAMABAD, 2 May 2008 — Pakistan’s ruling coalition agreed yesterday in Dubai to reinstate the country’s deposed judges through a parliamentary resolution prior to the Parliament’s budget session.
The agreement follows crucial two-day talks between former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari. “It has been decided and reiterated that the restoration of the judges will take place as per the Murree declaration... There is no ambiguity; there is no doubt about it. You will soon see the results of the discussions,” said Sharif.
“The committee has made substantive progress on this issue... The restoration will take place through a (parliamentary) resolution. The details will be revealed tomorrow... You won’t have to wait too long,” he added.
Zardari left the negotiations before Sharif, telling reporters only that the talks were meant to improve their relationship. “This is Dubai, no politics,” he said when reporters pressed him for an explanation.
However, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said Zardari had been asked not to make the announcement in the UAE. “Being a guest of the UAE, Asif Ali Zardari was not making political statements and has asked Sharif to announce the details of the agreement in Lahore,” he said.
Sharif said earlier yesterday that he would not budge an inch from his demand for the reinstatement of judges removed by Musharraf. “We cannot accept the Nov. 3 action under any circumstances,” Sharif told private Pakistani Geo television.
US ally Musharraf sacked the judges when he imposed emergency rule last November.
“We will not sit with peace until the judges are restored. We are trying our level best that we stay together in the coalition and together return all the judges back to their offices with honor and dignity. I am trying my level best to make sure we fulfill the commitment we made to the nation on the restoration of judges,” Sharif said, referring to the March agreement between his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Zardari’s PPP.
