ISLAMABAD, 24 May 2008 — Pakistan People’s Party chief Asif Ali Zardari said yesterday that the coalition government had prepared a set of amendments to the constitution that would restore deposed judges, curtail powers of President Pervez Musharraf and ensure judicial independence.
Addressing the South Asian Free Media Association here, Zardari said his party would circulate the draft of the constitutional amendments to coalition partners Pakistan Muslim League (N) of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Awami National Party.
He said the amendments could be tabled during the budget session of the National Assembly.
Zardari’s statement came after the office of the president objected to the PPP leader’s remark in an interview with an Indian news agency on Thursday. The wire service quoted him as saying: “It’s President Musharraf who is between democracy and the people of Pakistan.”
The statement issued by the president’s office said: “Henceforth the president will only deal with elected members of the PPP or other parties.” Mr. Zardari is not an elected member of Parliament.
At the media seminar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman said free media is the cornerstone of democracy and the present PPP-led government fully adheres to this principle. The PPP has paid a huge price in terms of giving sacrifices for the cause of democracy and freedom of the media in the country, she said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan yesterday tried to downplay concerns about peace talks with the militants linked to Al-Qaeda and Taleban, saying it was engaging only with those who renounce violence.
Authorities in the North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan signed a peace deal on Wednesday with militants in the Swat valley, promising to pull out troops from the region in return for a commitment from the insurgents to cease attacks. The government is also negotiating a peace deal through tribal elders with Baitullah Mehsud, the de facto leader of the Pakistani Taleban based in South Waziristan tribal region.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the government was committed to use force, whenever needed, but a military option alone could not end violence. Pakistan has a three-pronged strategy to deal with militancy and terrorism: political, socioeconomic and military, he said.
— With input from agencies
