'N' won't allow PPP to use Sindh card

LAHORE - Beneficiaries of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) should resign from public offices on moral grounds and come with clean hands for holding any public office.
Javed Hashmi, senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) talking to The Nation on Thursday said that public figures, especially politicians who were supposed to be role models for the masses, if accused of any immoral activity, should resign on moral grounds and clear charges against them for holding public-offices.
When asked, whether PML-N high command would demand resignations of NRO beneficiaries, he said PML-N has not made any policy about demanding resignations from NRO recipients so far but he would raise the issue in party meeting.
To another query about top government figures names in NRO especially from the PPP, Javed Hashmi said he was not singling out any political party and all the NRO beneficiaries including politicians and bureaucrats should step down voluntarily and clear their names for holding any public office.
However, insiders in the PML-N confided to this scribe that their party leadership was waiting for the outcome of Pakistan Peoples Partys (PPP) Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting decisions regarding NRO recipients in which President Asif Ali Zardari and Co-Chairman PPP has authorised the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who is also the Senior Vice Chairman of PPP to reshuffle the federal cabinet after a country-wide uproar over the issue of NRO beneficiaries in public offices.
The sources further disclosed that the PML-N leadership did not want to make any hasty decision over the issue of NRO beneficiaries as reshuffle in the federal cabinet is likely to take place next month and party leadership would devise a strategy only if PPP fails to implement the decision regarding NRO recipients.
When asked about the position of President Asif Ali Zardari, they informed that the partys high command was of the view that Zardari has constitutional immunity under Article 248 and they would not take any unconstitutional step.
PML-N insiders claimed that key members of PPP told them that NRO beneficiary ministers and bureaucrats would be asked to resign or they would quit the public offices by themselves. A key member of PML-N, when contacted in this regard said on condition of anonymity that partys high command would wait for the outcome of PPPs CEC decision on NRO recipients as party leadership wanted to give a free hand to the government to clean their mess.
To a query about PML-N friendly Opposition role, he replied party leadership did not want to give an opportunity to PPP to exploit Sindh card on any account as PPP Sindh chapter was already saying that certain elements were trying to dislodge a Sindhi President.
He said PML-N leadership did not want to take hasty decisions and if anything happened to the current set up, those who wanted to exploit Sindh card would say that PML-N has failed the incumbent government with the assistance of so-called Punjabi Establishment and did not let them to complete their tenure for steering the country out of the existing crises.