Fazl, Asfandyar pull socks up to break ice

ISLAMABAD - Chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Awami National Party President Asfandyar Wali Khan were striving to evolve some middle course on the judges restoration issue and in this connection both the leaders had a series of meetings to achieve their objective.
The sources privy to the deliberations of the meeting disclosed that so far the deadlock had persisted as both the PPP and the PML(N) sides were holding their ground and not ready to give in to the pressure being exerted on them by the junior coalition partners to follow some middle course on the issue.
The ANP, JUI(F) and FATA members also had a separate meeting at the farm house of former Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani at Chak Shahzad to discuss the issue threadbare in the light of their meetings with PML(N) and PPP leadership earlier in the day and in late evening.
The sources privy to the deliberations of the meetings of the two members committee comprising Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Asfandyar Wali Khan with PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML(N) senior leaders Ch. Nisar Ali Khan and Senator Ishaq Dar informed The Nation that the deadlock on the issue of judges restoration still persisted and neither PML(N) nor PPP was ready to concede ground and were sticking to their viewpoint.
The sources further said that both the leaders after having input on the issue by the two sides went into session along with their party leaders and FATA members at the residence of former CM NWFP Akram Khan Durrani.
After having threadbare discussion on the issue and various options to go about restoration of judges and resolving other contentious issues like granting of indemnity to the acts of former President Musharraf, both the leaders would now have another round of talks with the leadership of both the main coalition partners and would try to convince them to follow some middle course to restore the judges.
The sources close to PML(N) informed The Nation that PML(N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif was very much annoyed over what he termed the backtracking of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on judges issue for the second time.