Pakistan Views

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 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.

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.”

Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) on Monday agreed on an agenda to eliminate terrorism, create provincial autonomy and restoration of judiciary. Speaking to press conference after party’s committee meeting ANP’s leader Asfandyar Wali said that crisis in the tribal areas and other parts of the country could only be resolved by involving all the stakeholders in the peace process.
He said his first and utmost priority is to restore peace and end the sense of insecurity among the masses. He was flanked by Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Afrasiab Khattak, Haji Adeel, Mian Iftikhar Hussain and others. He also said that the ANP MPAs in the NWFP Assembly would select their leader in a parliamentary party meeting, who would be nominee of the party for chief minister office.
Asfandyar said that he has a blind support for PPP in Sindh and Balochistan, while in the Frontier province PPP would back his party. Both the parties would form separate committees for the future set-up in the NWFP coalition government he added.
He said the parliament will decide the fate of the deposed judges and independence of judiciary.

Three major winners in recent polls Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Awami National Party leaders were in contact for formation of government in Islamabad. The parties holding consultations ahead of a summit meeting in Islamabad today (Thursday), sources said. PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari, PML-N Quaid Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Awami National Party leader Asfandyar Wali will hold consultations here in a meeting to reach on consensus over some crucial issues such as restoration of the deposed judges, strengthening of the national institutions, future of the president and other major issues. Mian Nawaz Sharif and Asfandyar Wali reaching Islamabad today for the meeting. The central executive committee of Pakistan Peoples Party held meeting on Wednesday to discuss the post-election scenario, while the PML-N central working committee meeting today in Islamabad.

The likeminded parties having consensus on the agenda of boycotting the forthcoming general elections have formed a new faction of APDM sans Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Awami National Party (ANP).

New APDM came into being after Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Awami National Party (ANP) reversed the decision of boycotting the polls.