Zardari, Nawaz break bread
By Abrar Saeed November 9, 2008
ISLAMABAD-President Asif Ali Zardari said that he also wanted to see the Parliament strong and supreme and assured Pakistan Muslim League(Nawaz)Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif that he would follow Parliament’s dictates when it comes to striking balance between the powers of the offices of President and Prime Minister.
Former premier and Quaid of his own faction of Pakistan Muslim League Mian Nawaz Sharif along with his spouse Begum Kalsoom Nawaz attended the special dinner reception hosted in their honour here at Awan-I-Sadr by President Asif Ali Zardari.
Later at the dinner table Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and his spouse also joined them.
The couple was received at Awan-I-Sadr by President Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and others. After exchanging pleasantries, PML(N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari got into real business of discussing the prevailing political situation in the country and to look into the irritants affecting their already strained relations.
Some reliable PML-N sources disclosed to The Nation that before going to Awan-i-Sadr for dinner, Mian Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting of a few selected party leaders to get their input on the host of issues including the judicial crisis.
It was decided in the meeting that the concerns of the PML(N) should be aired in the meeting with President Zardari so that the house could be put in order.
These sources further said that the meeting between the two was held in a cordial atmosphere wherein both sides candidly shared views on host of issues.
President Asif Ali Zardari, who had quite often called Mian Nawaz Sharif as his elder brother, sought PML(N) Quaid’s in steering the country out of prevailing crises. Mian Nawaz Sharif responded by cautiously extending support to PPP-led coalition government but at the same time minced no words in demanding the implementation of Charter of Democracy in true letter and spirit.
The sources said that Mian Nawaz Sharif expressed his concern over the delay in the constitution of the Parliamentary Committees to determine Pakistan’s role in war on terror and to strike down the 17th Constitutional Amendment, Article 58(2)b and other amendments that had distorted the 1973 Constitution.
President Asif Ali Zardari was forthcoming in agreeing to concede the powers vested in the office of President of Pakistan under 17th Constitutional Amendment, Article 58(2)b and other amendments. He committed that he would follow the dictates of the Parliament.
He further said that he himself wanted to see the Parliament strong and supreme. “That’s why I in my address to the Parliament asked the MPs to rationalize the powers between the offices of President and Prime Minister”, he observed.
PML(N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif assured President Asif Ali Zardari his party’s support on all the national issues. Mian Nawaz Sharif however sought commitment from President Zadari to get all issues settled on the floor of the House whether it’s about taking loans from IMF or defining country’s role in the ongoing war on terror.
Mian Nawaz Sharif also told President Zardari that PML(N) wanted to make Charter of Democracy basis for its relations with the ruling alliance and said that that was the only way to steer the country out of crises and to strengthen the democratic institutions in the country.
Mian Nawaz Sharif also expressed his apprehensions that delay in implementation of the decisions of the Parliament would cause irreparable loss to the whole political process and asked President Zardari to come up quick, clear and concrete on the issues confronting the nation.
Both the leaders once again reiterated that they would not become part of any conspiracy against democracy and would not go for any adventure neither in the Federal Government nor in the Punjab Government.
It was disclosed by the sources that President Asif Ali Zardari assured Mian Nawaz Sharif that no move to dislodge or destabilize PML(N) government would be made in Punjab and in this connection he would take notice of the provocative statements coming from the Governor Punjab.
Mian Nawaz Sharif expressed similar views and said that his party wanted to see the political system function and flourish in the country. Only strong democratic institutions could ensure bright future for the country and that it was obligatory on all the political parties to work toward this end, observed PML-N chief
The prevailing economic crisis and the ways and means to steer the country out of it also came under discussion. Mian Nawaz Sharif suggested that the matter of taking loan from IMF should be first debated in the Parliament.
President Asif Ali Zardari also took Mian Nawaz Sharif into confidence about his recent visits to China and Saudi Arabia.
Earlier in the day, PML-N has once again demanded of the government to scrap controversial 17th Constitutional Amendment so that a real parliamentary democratic system could be established in the country.
The demand came from the high-level meeting of the party held under the chair of its Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif here at Punjab House on Saturday evening.
Mian Nawaz Sharif has arrived here on the invitation of President Asif Ali Zardari to have a dinner with him at Aiwan-i-Sadr and before going there he held a meeting with the party leadership to discuss the prevailing political situation in the country and the issues to be taken up with the President at dinner table.
Besides Nawaz Sharif, the meeting was attended by party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Ch Nisar Ali Khan, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, Ahsan Iqbal, Anjum Aqeel Khan and other senior party leaders.
It was the consensus view of the party leadership that government should be asked vigorously to do away with the 17th Constitutional Amendment, 58(2)b and other distortions made in the Constitution during the past several years, immediately constitute the Parliamentary Committee to handle the issue of terrorism and country’s role in war on terror in the light of the unanimous resolution adopted by the Parliament, restore the deposed judges of apex judiciary including deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to November 2, 2007 position and take measures to bring change in the life of common man.
The party leadership expressed its resolve to continue playing role of positive and constructive Opposition in the light of the Charter of Democracy and not to let the other signatories of the document deviate from the spirit of the Charter.
The meeting also demanded to take the issue of taking loan from IMF in the Parliament and let the apex legislative body of the country decide about the issue. It was further suggested to formulate a comprehensive policy to attract both foreign and local investment in the country to put the derailed economy back on the track.
The meeting expressed grave concern over the growing acts of terrorism and demanded of the government to review the whole situation and constitute a Parliamentary Committee as recommended by the joint sitting of the Parliament, as according to them extremism could only be controlled by engaging the people in dialogue and bringing about change in their lives through development of restive areas.
The party also believed that without bringing judicial independence and restoring the deposed judges including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to November 2, 2007 position, the system couldn’t be put on right track and demanded of the government to come up with concrete steps in that connection to restore public faith in the whole system.