Masses want new President: Nawaz

WASHINGTON - Pakistan Muslim League-N Quaid

Nawaz Sharif has said that reinstating the judges deposed

by President Pervez Musharraf is directly linked to

resolving the country's other problems.

"People want to see the change that they voted for,"

he said in an interview with Voice of America (VOA).

"Of course the first change they wanted to see and

still want to see is to have a new president of this

country. Because they are absolutely certain that the

eight years of Musharraf's rule have brought them a

lot of problems."

Nawaz dismissed suggestions the government has

ignored serious problems while it remains deadlocked

on the judges' issue.

"This issue I think can, God forbid, make or break a

democratic Pakistan," he said. "So if we ignore this

issue and just simply allow it to fade out, I think we

will be committing the biggest crime in the political

history of the country."

In the long term, Nawaz said the government must

emerge from the shadow of President Musharraf, who, he

said, had dominated Pakistan, and its relationship with

the United States, for too long.

"I think Musharraf is Musharraf, Pakistan is

Pakistan," he said. "They must not equate Musharraf

with Pakistan or equate Pakistan with Musharraf. US

policy all along has been to support the people of

Pakistan and to have friendly relations with the

country and not with one man."