Pakistan Views

Two component parties of the ruling coalition, Muslim League-N and Awami National Party have expressed their reservations over postponement of the bye-elections. It is being expected that the decision of delay in the bye-polls will be reversed today. According to the information gathered by Geo News from sources inside the coalition, the government could not function in existing shape if the decision about delaying the bye-elections would not be cancelled. Muslim League-N and Awami National Party have expressed their reservations on the issue. The credibility of the NWFP government is being damaged with postponement of the elections, ANP has intimated to the major partner of the coalition Pakistan People’s Party, sources said. Muslim League-N was of the view that the elections have been deferred to stop entry of Shahbaz Sharif in Punjab Assembly. The decision is likely to be reverted today, sources added.

PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Asfandyar Wali will be taken into confidence about the accord with Mian Nawaz Sharif reached in Dubai, reported private TV channel. Zardari was speaking to media persons after meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other leaders of JUI(F) in Islamabad.He said that he had talked with the Maulana about various national issues the country is facing including Fata and restoration of judges. “We would nearly stick to twelfth of May about the restoration of judges,” the TV channel quoted him as saying. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, talking to media said that they would clear their stance about the restoration of judges when the resolution would be placed in the National Assembly and added it was the responsibility of two major parties to take coalition partners into confidence but they have not fulfilled their responsibility. “So now we are not able to respond to their agreement.”

The first contact has been made between the Awami National Party and the Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi.According to the sources, local office-bearers of Malakand from the Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi organization attended this joint jirga while the office-bearers, provincial ministers and others from the ANP were also present there. On this occasion, both sides agreed on the restoration of peace and maintaining the law and order situation in the area.

The parties included in the coalition government has sent the final lists of their nominated ministers to cabinet division. A 24-member federal cabinet will take oath in the first phase tomorrow.According to the sources of the cabinet division, 11 ministers will be from the PPP, nine from the PML-N, two from the ANP and one each from the JUI-F and FATA. As per the finalized list of PPP, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Sherry Rehman, Syed Naveed Qamar, Syed Khursheed Shah, Najamuddin Khan, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Senator Farooq Naek, Qamar Zaman Kaira, NazarMohammad Gondal, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar and Mir Hamayon Aziz Kurd will take oath as federal ministers while Rehman Malik will be the Advisor to Prime Minister for Interior Affairs.Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan from the PML-N will be the senior federal minister while Senator Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Khawaja Asif, Shahid Khakhan Abbasi, Sardar Mehtab Abbassi, Tahmina Daultana and Rana Tanveer Ahmed will take oath as federal ministers.The ministers from ANP will be Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti, from JUI (F) Rehmatullah Kakar and from FATA Hameedullah Jan Afridi will be the federal ministers.The cabinet division sent the summary, consists of the list of ministers, to the prime minister who approved it.
The oath-taking ceremony will be held in the President’s House on Monday at 1-45 pm and President Pervez Musharraf will administer the oath from the nominated ministers.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has reached the Parliament Lodges to hold talks with ANP President Asfandyar Wali on Saturday. According to report, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has reached the Parliament Lodges where he will call on ANP President Asfandyar Wali for the formation of government and discuss different political matters.

The political parties have accelerated efforts for the formation of new government and the consultation process for the said purpose has been underway with the hope that the important decisions will be made with in couple of days.
Three main parties of the future coalition government, PPP, PML-N and ANP have almost completed consultation process with agreement on all big issues. However, the PPP has yet to announce its nominee for the slot of Prime Minister although the issue of Speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly has already been resolved. Although Makhdoom Amin Fahim is still in race for Prime Minister-ship, however, after the reservations of Khawaja Asif over the candidature of Fahim, the situation has changed. It is said that PPP will announce its nominee for the slot of Prime Minister during the maiden session of the new parliament.

The committees of Pakistan People’s Party and Awami National Party have agreed over a formula for formation of coalition government in NWFP after successful talks here on Wednesday. The leaders of PPP and ANP held a meeting to decide about the distribution of ministries between two parties and settle other issues.
ANP leader Afrasiyab Khattak and PPP’s Rahimdad Khan talking to newsmen here after the meeting said the two sides have agreed to award the provincial assembly’s speaker office to People’s Party, while the deputy speaker’s slot will be given to ANP.
Awami National Party would also get the ministries of agriculture, Auqaf and Hajj, education, information technology, local government and law department.
The People’s Party has been awarded the portfolios of excise and taxation, finance, planning, food, industries and health department.
The two sides held the talks in a pleasant atmosphere and resolved all issues amicably, Afrasiyab Khattak said. All matters were settled amicably and a democratic government would be formed in the province, PPP leader Karamatullah Khan added.

PPP, PML-N and ANP on Tuesday held final round of talks before announcement the name of candidate for PM slot.The three parties have shown willingness to join hands for coalition government in Centre and the provinces after none of them could achieve simple majority to constitute independent governments. “PPP, ANP and PML-N discussed the details to finalize name of Makhdoom Amin Faheem as Prime Minister while Yousaf Raza Gillani as speaker of the national assembly,” the PPP sources said. ANP leader Asfandyar Wali called on PPP co-chairman Senator Asif Ali Zardari and discussed the issues of bilateral interest especially modalities to finalize joint government in Centre and the NWFP, the sources added. PPP has reiterated its assurance to extend its full support to ANP-led government in NWFP and, in response, the ANP leadership also repeated its stance to cooperate with PPP to run the government in Centre, Balochistan and Sindh.
In the evening a PML-N delegation including Nisar Ali Khan, Khawaja Asif and Ishaq Dar reached Zardari House and held a marathon meeting with PPP co- chairman Asif Ali Zardari. After the meeting, PML-N leaders told reporters that PPP, PML-N and ANP are all set to form a joint government and there existed a complete understanding on all important issues. Nisar said, “We want to give a clear message that PPP, PML-N and ANP are fully agreed on formation of a joint government in Centre, but there are some modalities that need further deliberation.”He said more meetings would be held in next couple of days between leadership of PPP and PML-N to evolve consensus on issues that were currently being discussed. “We are fully prepared to play our due role in resolving issues confronting Pakistan and a complete consensus would be developed on all issues within next eight to ten days,” he said. Ishaq Dar said the meeting was part of a series of meetings between Zardari and Nawaz Sharif and “we are trying to develop consensus on all important issues at the earliest.” The sources said PML-N leaders sought more time to formally inform the PPP leadership about its decision on whether or not its members would become part of the federal cabinet.

Three major winning parties have agreed to use muscles of the parliament to restore the dissident judges, but two of them appeared to be shying away from a key question of removing President Pervez Musharraf. PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N head Nawaz Sharif and Awami National Party (ANP) president Asfandyar Wali on Wednesday met here along with top associates to boost co-operation for the formation of the future governments at the Centre and provinces. According to details emerging after the first tripartite contact, there was a consensus among the three that jurists, including Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, must be brought back to their jobs immediately when the new administration is put in place. But it remained unclear whether the troika had also discussed and arrived to some common ground on the issue of what should be the fate of President Musharraf.
The President suspended (now-restored) constitution and removed Supreme Court Chief Justice in November last year to avoid a possible decision against the legitimacy of his re-election as president a month before. “They have agreed on judges’ restoration,” Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chairman Zafarul Haq told media after more than two-hour talks. “Through the power of the parliament,” he replied when asked what would be the operational strategy of these parties for doing so, but declined to share specific details. Some top constitutional experts, like Fakhruddin Ibrahim, briefed Zardari, Nawaz and Asfandyar on how they could use their numerical strength in the parliament to reinstate Iftikhar Chaudhry and fellows. Earlier, at a show of strength gathering attended by 171 National Assembly members-elect, they also called on President Pervez Musharraf to immediately summon parliament so they can show they have the majority needed to choose the next Prime Minister.
Zardari and Asfandyar did not either directly call for Musharraf’s resignation, or threatened with impeachment. “We are united together to empower the parliament and finish the establishment once and for all,” Zardari said in a rather indirect and more rhetorical warning to Musharraf. Asfandyar also restricted himself from sending any strong message of confrontation to the President. The restoration of judiciary and upholding the rule of law must be the hallmark of struggle, he remarked. Nawaz, however, kept up his anti-Musharraf stance, perceivably a reason for which contenders from his party were voted to power by people mostly in the central Punjab and non-Pushtoon belt of North West Frontier Province (NWFP). “We must fight together; we must defeat dictatorship,” he added. He claimed that the three parties had already gained two-thirds majority in the National Assembly and they would have it in the Senate soon, a qualification they need to send Musharraf home, if a political will is there at all.
Polls’ outcome shows PPP, PML-N and ANP are close to grab two-thirds majority in the National Assembly to impeach Musharraf and bring back judges by amending the constitution.
But they do not hitherto have such a right in the Senate. Half of its members are to be elected in March next year through four provincial assemblies where their parties once again are in majority. So, academically, they need at least one more year to be able to oust Musharraf through a parliamentary reprimand. But, already faced by a hostile lawyers’ movement, he may not be in a position to survive another wave of unfriendly protests by politicians this time around.
AGENCIES ADD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won the most seats but not enough to form a government on its own. The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) led by Nawaz Sharif, came second and the two parties are in talks, along with a smaller third group, on a coalition government that could force Musharraf from power. The coalition has been wooing several independent MPs in a bid to gain the two-thirds majority, even if it is just to increase the pressure on Musharraf, a bulwark in US efforts to tackle al Qaeda and Taliban militants. Asif Ali Zardari said the opposition should work together to end the supremacy of the military-led establishment. “I think the homage to my … wife would be that we unite together, we take democracy, we take power for parliament and once and for all, finish the establishment,” Zardari told the meeting. Nawaz assured Zardari that his party would extend full support to him, although he did not say his party would accept cabinet posts. Some senior officials in Nawaz’s party have said it might support the PPP, but not serve in the government. “We must see that we have a long-lasting democracy in this country and abandon the role of the army and the military in the politics of Pakistan forever,” Nawaz said. “This is what we should be striving for.” Nawaz said the opposition parties would end up with two-thirds of National Assembly seats and he called on Musharraf to call the session as soon as the Election Commission issues official results. It is expected to declare results by Saturday. “We are not prepared to wait for a single more day for the assembly to be convened,” he said. Talking to newsmen on Wednesday, Zafarul Haq said that during the newly elected MNAs meeting, Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and Asfandyar Wali Khan agreed on the reinstatement of the sacked judges and the power of parliament would be utilised for it.
“During the meeting, all the leaders expressed identical views and agreed over the restoration of the judges who were illegally sacked” he added. He said the legal experts Fakharuddin G Ibrahim, Latif Khosa and Farooq Naik expressed their views about the restoration of judges in the meeting. The PML-N Chairman said, a committee was set up for legal advice and to prepare its report within week to suggest steps for the restoration of judges.” “There were differences in the meeting and all the leaders agreed over the reinstatement of judges” he noted.

Election victors are to hold the first joint meeting of their new MPs on Wednesday in a show of strength against President Pervez Musharraf, party officials said. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) grouping and the Awami National Party (ANP) agreed to form a coalition last week. Musharraf’s backers were trounced in the February 18 polls and the coalition of opposition parties is demanding that the new parliament should be convened as soon as possible.
“Today’s meeting will be a show of strength from the coalition partners,” said ANP leader Afsandyar Wali Khan, who will attend the meeting alongside PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairman, Asif Ali Zardari.
“Musharraf should convene the parliament session as early as possible now,” Khan told AFP. The lunchtime meeting will bring together 89 lawmakers from the PPP, 67 from Pakistan Muslim League-N and 10 from the ANP.
The coalition has also been wooing several independent MPs in a bid to gain the two-thirds majority necessary to seek the impeachment of Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999. Nawaz has openly called for President Musharraf to step down following the defeat of his allies in the elections, but the parties have not yet said whether they will try to impeach the president. Local media reports say Washington, Pakistan’s key economic and military backer, is trying to persuade them to give the key US ally in the “war on terror” a smooth exit from power. US Senator Joe Biden, one of three senators who observed the elections, said on Sunday that the political parties should not focus on old grudges and should “give him (Musharraf) a graceful way to move.”