Restoration issue

The JUI-F and ANP leadership asked to workout a formula acceptable to the PML-N and PPP in respect of the judges restoration issue in 72 hours expired on Saturday. As I write this article, PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif has given PPP a deadline till Monday for restoration of the judges. According to the latest reports he has asked PPP to tell him by tonight whether the judges will be restored day after tomorrow.

The details need not be repeated. Like the past three deadlines, the fourth deadline (that was till Wednesday) had also been digested in the best national interest by the PML-N leadership. However, the new deadline provides the hope that the judges shall finally be restored as per the following commitment by the other three members of the ruling coalition.

Hopefully, the much-awaited final stage shall be set for the deposed judges to resume their respective November 3 position. According to the PML-N leadership the 'minus one formula' is buried for good and consequently Chief Justice lftikhar Chaudhry shall also assume his exalted office. Whereas the PPP co chairperson has chosen to be silent on some crucial aspects of the restoration, however previously a leading minister of the PPP government, Khurshid Shah, and one of the key negotiators of the compromise formula namely Maulana Fazalur Rehman have openly expressed the view that any rigidity adherence to time frame is not as important as the spirit of the restoration formula.