Zardari ready to go extra mile

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People's Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Monday chaired a meeting of the party's ministers to review the current political situation and to give final shape to their strategy for the scheduled meeting of PML-N and PPP leadership today.

Host of issues, including the restoration of judges, the possible move to impeach President and the proposed constitutional package floated by PPP came under detailed discussion.

The sources privy to the meeting, which remained in session at Zardari House for several hours, informed TheNation that PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari expressed his resolve to keep the coalition intact and said that serious efforts would be made to convince PML-N Quaid to follow their way for the restoration of deposed judges through constitutional package, instead of an executive order as demanded by PML-N leadership.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Law Minister Farooq H Naek, Leader of the House in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Minister of Sports Najumuddin Khan, Advisor to PM on Trade and Industry Manzoor Wattoo, Information Minister Sherry Rehman, Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman A Malik, Advisor to Prime Minister on Religious Affairs Hamid Saed Khan, Senior Minister of Punjab Raja Riaz Ahmad, Finance Minister Naveed Qamar, Qasim Zia and Advisor to Prime Minister Hina Rabbani Khar attended the meeting.

Talking to media outside Zardari House, Federal Minister for Law Farooq H Naek once again reiterated his party's stand that the deposed judges could only be restored through constitutional amendment and all the restored judges should have to take oath afresh from President Pervez Musharraf.

He said that the meeting had discussed the current political situation and the working of the performance of the government in the backdrop of the Prime Minister's recent visit to the United States and Sri Lanka to attend the SAARC Summit.

The sources further disclosed that it was the consensus of the PPP Federal Ministers that PML-N should be persuaded to join the Federal Cabinet as in the absence of the PML-N ministers, the additional charge of their ministries were given to other cabinet members due to which the overall working of these ministries had suffered.

These sources further disclosed that the fresh induction in the Federal Cabinet was also delayed due to the standoff between the two main coalition partners and once the final decision in this connection was made, the expansion in the cabinet would be announced.

The meeting also decided that in case the PML-N refused to join the Federal Cabinet, then PPP state ministers, of the ministries allocated to PML-N, would fill them on temporary basis.

The sources said that PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari was of the view that he would go an extra mile to bring PML-N Quaid around and hoped that he would succeed in breaking impasse with PML-N over the contentious issue of the deposed judges.

When asked to give details discussed in the meeting, he said that the prevailing political situation and issues relating to the coalition were discussed in the meeting.

Answering a question about the problem of loadshedding, he said it would come to an end by the next year.

Our Monitoring Desk adds: Zardari said that he has replied the letter in details written to him by Nawaz, a private TV channel on Monday, quoting its sources.

Zardari said that Nawaz Sharif was just like his elder brother, and they would discuss the issues in detail in Tuesday's meeting. About a delay in replaying to Nawaz's letter, Zardari said that both he and Nawaz were out of country which caused a delay in this connection.

The PPP leader further said that he did not consider it befitting to sent a reply to this letter when Nawaz was in London.

Meanwhile, the participants of the meeting said that coalition could not survive with reinstating the judges and the impeachment of President Musharraf. They further said any split in the coalition would strengthen the Presidency.

They said that Nawaz has refused to support the selective reinstatement of the deposed judges.

On the other hand, a clear division has emerged in the ranks of the PPP as Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan and Makhdoon Amin Fahim have stepped up their criticism over the failure of the party on several issues while a number of other leaders are favouring the present line of Asif Ali Zardari.