Judges may be restored before June 10

ISLAMABAD The constitutional package being prepared by Pakistan People's Party for resolving the most contentious issue of judges restoration, and which had forced one of the coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), out of the Federal Cabinet, would likely be tabled before the National Assembly before the budget session.

From the sources privy to the developments on the issue and the background interviews with the leaders of both PML(N) and PPP, it transpired that the constitutional package mainly contained the things already discussed between the two parties on several occasions since the signing of the Bhurban Summit Declaration on March 9.

These sources were of the view that there was no difference whatsoever on the constitutional package PPP intended to introduce for the restoration of the judges and the PML-N's stance on the issue that the judges be restored first and the package be presented for passage by the Parliament later.

It was further informed that the in the drafting of the constitutional package the input from all the stakeholders, including the Presidential camp, was taken and incorporated in the package to make it acceptable to all the stakeholderspolitical parties, judges and the Establishment.

Terming the reports about dispatching of the draft constitutional package to President House for approval as ridiculous, these sources said that as all the stakeholders were on board, so they need not present the draft resolution to any stakeholder.

These sources were of the view that besides making amendment in the Judges Act 1997 to enhance the strength of the apex court judges from 17 to 27 to accommodate the deposed judges, the package would likely give indemnity to Presidential acts of November 3 and the steps taken in the following days.

These sources further disclosed that in lieu of this concession the Presidential Camp would not object to curtailing the President's powers to dissolve assemblies and to appoint Chief Election Commissioner and Governors. These powers, the sources said, would be delegated to the office of the Prime Minister.

Similarly, the National Security Council would also be abolished under the deal while the ambiguities in the Article 6 of the Constitution would be removed, the sources added.

On the judges issue, the sources revealed that the powers of Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motto action would be taken back and in future the same would be given to a council of judges. Similarly the constitution of benches in the apex court would also be given to council of judges instead of Chief Justice of Pakistan.

The term of Chief Justice of Pakistan would be fixed while there were chances that the age limit of the apex court judges would be enhanced.

The PPP sources disclosed to TheNation that the Federal Cabinet would likely meet today in which the said resolution would be tabled for discussion and the coalition partners Awami National Party and Jamiat-I-Ulema-I-Islam would be taken into confidence about recent developments.

These sources were of the view that the main coalition partner PML(N) would also be consulted on the recent changes made in the package and in this connection PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari would himself take PML(N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif into confidence.

These sources further disclosed that all these tasks would be discussed before May 24 at the PPP Central Executive Council meeting here at Zardari House in which the constitutional package would be given final shape.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Farooq H. Naek denied the report that the draft constitutional package was sent to Awan-e-Sadr and at the same time the spokesman of the President Maj. Gen. (Retd) Rashid Qureshi also denied any such development terming the reports in this regard as baseless and unfounded.

Federal Minister for Law on Tuesday said that work was in progress on the constitutional package regarding restoration of judges and on bringing uniformity between the powers of the President and the Prime Minister. He said the draft was not finalized yet and would be completed by Saturday.

The sources in PPP said that the party leadership was worried about the protest plan of the lawyers and its expected impact on the government when in Punjab the PML(N) Government had made it loud and clear that they would not stop the June 10 Long March of Lawyers rather the PML(N) activists were asked to join the march and facilitate the lawyers movement.

In the backdrop of these developments, the PPP leadership would likely restore the judges before the June 10, the date given by the lawyers for the Long March and in case the coalition government could not manage to get the job done by that time, at least it would try to give some timeframe for restoration of the deposed judges.

The sources further disclosed that PPP was under tremendous pressure over the judges' issue, especially after the dissociation of PML(N) from Federal Cabinet.

The All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) had also announced their support to the lawyers protest movement with their likely showdown on June 10 when the lawyers would launch Long March against the government.

Some other senior party leaders were of the view that if the matter of judges could not be resolved before the budget session, at least party leadership would announce some final roadmap for the restoration of the judges to relatively defuse the lawyers protest movement.