Pakistan Views

The Head of Pakistan Muslim League-N, Mian Nawaz Sharif has said that his meeting with Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman, Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday is important and decisive.

PML-N leader said that if President Musharraf could keep a close eye on political and economic developments in the country, he could also do the same. Briefing media after the PML-N Central Executive Committee meeting here, Nawaz Sharif said there was complete unanimity of views that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) should not play any role in country’s politics.

He said that the PPP should take its coalition partners on board before making any decision of hiking petroleum and gas product prices.

Nawaz sharif said that the PML-N has reviewed all the agreements it made with the PPP after the elections. He also voiced his frustration saying that issues have yet to be resolved despite several meetings with Asif Ali Zardari.

He said that the PML-N wants to protect the coalition but not at the cost of vital issues. He also called for the deposed judges to be reinstated, and the parliament to be made sovereign.

However, he blamed the previous government for the prevailing economic crisis and the scourge of extremism.

Major coalition parties have called their respective party meetings on Monday to discuss the future course of action that would be discuss further when the two coalition partners will meet tomorrow.

A meeting of Pakistan Muslim League PML-N parliamentary party and the executive committee will meet today in Lahore.

According to sources, the PML-N meeting will mull over various affairs including the present political situation in the country, impeachment of the president and the restoration of the judges.

Sources said, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif will decide once and for all as to keep or break up with the coalition after consultations with the parliamentary and central executive committee.

Meanwhile Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co chairman Asif Ali Zardari has also convened a meeting of the party high-ups in Islamabad today.

This meeting has also been convened to formulate strategy for the meeting with Nawaz as PML-N will be holding its CEC and parliamentary party meeting. Most of PML-N leaders are convinced that PPP is least interested in restoration of judges, but there is a possibility that the party may agree on Musharraf’s impeachment. PML-N stalwarts are of the view that PPP must come forward with clear words on the two issues.

Zardari will host a luncheon in honour of Nawaz Sharif tomorrow, in which various affairs including the judges restoration and the comeback of PML-N to the cabinet would be discussed at large.

According to sources Zardari would try to bring Nawaz round to adopt a soft standpoint. However, PML-N sources said their party would not make any compromise on the restoration of the judges; agreement could be achieved on keep the coalition intact for the perpetuity of democracy.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is firm to its stance of restoring higher judiciary and this position would be made clear to the PPP leadership during the coalition partners meeting which may prove final because the PML-N has waited for too long to resolve the issues for which the people of Pakistan had given them the mandate.

Sources in the PML-N told Business Recorder that even after 100 days the issues of restoring the judiciary, making Parliament sovereign and impeaching the President have not been settled and the country continues to adrift which has increased the socio-economic problems of the people.

The PML-N wanted that the agenda worked out with the PPP through talks in Dubai and the Murree Declaration must be implemented in letter and spirit and unless the issues mentioned in these documents were settled, the country would not move forward and resolve the challenges facing it, the sources said.

The PML-N also desired that all issues facing the country must be discussed in the national assembly and decided according to the supreme national interests. The PML-N secretary finance Pervaiz Malik said that the last eight years of misrule has retarded development in the country, which has increased the problems of the people manifold. He said if the PML-N was desirous of being in power, it would have not given up its 15 ministries.

A National Accountability Court (NAC) has adjourned the hearing of 3 corruption references filed against the Sharif brothers and 7 other members of their family. The hearing is set to resume on the 21st of August.

During today’s hearing, Deputy Prosecutor general –Zulfikar Bhutta submitted applications in 3 references, including the Ittefaq Foundaries, Hudabia Paper Mills and the Raiwind Assets references.

The court also asked the deputy prosecutor general to submit applications for summoning the Sharif brothers to the court. The court then adjourned the hearing till the end of August.

Leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N Javed Hashmi said that it would be difficult to continue coalition with Peoples Party if the deposed judges would not be restored soon.

Talking to media while participating lawyers rally here on Saturday, Javed Hashmi said that Mian Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari would discuss swift restoration of deposed judges in their next meeting.

If the judges would not be restored till August, than it would be difficult for PML-N to continue coalition and the situation will be clear till August, he added.

Criminals and warlords spoiling the atmosphere in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) on the behest of their foreign masters should be dealt with iron hand, Secretary Information PML-N Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday.

Talking to a private TV channel he however added that common people in troubled areas must be provided full protection.

He called for convening immediate session of National Assembly and devise a comprehensive strategy to combat war on terrorism as it leaves negative impact on disability of the country.

The earlier the strategy pursued for many years to settle the Fata’s issue. Real vision of Islam should be disseminated among the masses.

Punjab Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif said that his government would set right the last eight years’ irregularities and mismanagements.

In an exclusive interview  he said that millions were wasted in the previous regime, but the landscape in rural areas didn’t improve. He said that dead animal was seen floating and grass grown at Liaquatpur drinking water tank, while doctors were not available at rural hospitals.

Shahbaz Sharif said that the children of elite schools play on the internet, while in the rural areas the children do not know the name of the capital of Punjab. He said that he was in no way lacking in the spirit and sincerity for serving the people, but the whole nation would have to share the drive with him.

Earlier he met with the workers of the Lahore constituency PP-154 and announced an allocation of Rs200 million for development works in the area.

Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the plantation campaign by planting a sapling at the Allama Iqbaal Library.

The chief minister Punjab was accompanied by provincial minister for special education Iqbal Chinar, MNA Saud Majeed, MNA Jahangir Khan Tareen and secretary forests Khusro Pervez on this education.

Secretary forests told that 13 million saplings would be planted during the plantation campaign, out of which 4.55 million would be planted on the land of the forests department while 0.85 million saplings would be planted on other government lands.

Similarly, 2.40 million saplings will be planted on the land managed by Pakistaaan Army while 5.2 million saplings will be planted on private lands.

The Forests department will establish 500 sale points in the province where 30 million saplings will be provided on discount rates.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday has adjourned hearing of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sarif disqualification case till 11 August.

Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar has constituted three benches of the Supreme Court for the hearing of hundreds of cases including case of disqualification of former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and suo-motu case of commutation death sentence into life imprisonment besides others today.

The three-member bench headed by Justice Moosa K. Leghari heard the case of disqualification of former premier Nawaz Sharif.

The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing of the federation’s petition regarding the Sharif brothers’ eligibility to run for public office till August 11th.

The government presented arguments seeking to have Nawaz’s disqualifications brushed aside, and to restrain the Election Commission from setting up an Election Tribunal to decide Shahbaz’s eligibility.

Deputy Attorney General Raja Rehman while talking to media said that there is no obstacle in the formation of election tribunal by Election Commission in Shahabaz Sharif’s issue.