Re: My party will continue to perform its role for achieving provicial autonomy; NS
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See more what Maharaja of Takht Lahore says. He forgets he is a pronicial leader only..A leader who did not get a majority in one province only saying what
**Nawaz sets terms for supporting govt ** By Nasir Jamal
Thursday, 03 Sep, 2009 | 05:25 AM PST |
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PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif talks to media persons. Chief Minister Punjab and President PML-N Shahbaz Sharif, Zulfiqar Khosa, Rana Sanaullah, and Nadeem Kamran are also seen in the picture. – Online photo
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**LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif promised on Wednesday to unconditionally support the government if it agreed to scrap the 17th Amendment and try Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf for breaching and mutilating the Constitution.**
The offer came after the PML-N withdrew its ultimatum to the PPP-led government to stop maligning its leadership.
‘We are ready to fully support the PPP government even at the expense of being dubbed a friendly opposition. But for that we shall have to sit together to implement the Charter of Democracy, repeal the 17th Amendment and punish the dictator who is responsible for the current constitutional, political and economic chaos in the country,’ Mr Sharif told senior journalists.
He said the statement of PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal regarding the ultimatum had been blown out of proportion by the media.
‘I’m also prepared to go and meet (President) Asif Zardari anywhere, anytime for implementation of the Charter of Democracy. For this, I’m even prepared to go to his place,’ he said.
He advised the president to act in accordance with the law and constitution and ‘keep an arrangement (with Musharraf), if there is any, limited to his own person, instead of punishing the whole nation on that account’.
In their last meeting in July, President Zardari had reportedly expressed his inability to try Gen Musharraf on the grounds that he had resigned under an ‘arrangement’ that indemnified all his actions.
Reiterating his stance that the 17th Amendment could be undone in a day, Mr Sharif said efforts to link it with other issues and handing it over to a committee would only complicate matters and make all the players adopt a hard line.
‘If the 17th Amendment is repealed, we are ready to discuss the package of reforms. We need to first undo the changes in the Constitution made by a dictator and restore it as it existed in 1999 and then sit together to outline the 18th and 19th amendments.’
Replying to a question about Gen Musharraf’s visit to Saudi Arabia, he said: ‘We should avoid speculations that the Saudis want to get involved in Pakistan’s politics. We better not involve them in our politics.’
But he said that he also planned to visit Saudi Arabia soon for Umrah. ‘Let’s see if (anyone) talks about him during my visit.’
Mr Sharif said the country had lost its sense of direction because of repeated military interventions and derailment of democracy.
‘We are still in the grip of a constitutional crisis and I don’t see a way out of it,’ he said.
Pledging not to become part of any intrigue aimed at derailing the democratic process and revert to the politics of confrontation, he said such games of the establishment should end.
‘We don’t want confrontation because it is not in the interest of Pakistan. It will lead the country only to chaos.’
The former prime minister said he was ‘ready to drive my car even at 20 miles an hour to avoid political confrontation’.
Referring to recent disclosures by some former military and intelligence personnel accusing him of having taken funds from the ISI and launching military operation against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, he said: ‘We will not lose patience or become part of any undemocratic move against the government. Together we can easily foil the agenda of the establishment.’
He was of the view that former intelligence official Brig (retd) Imtiaz Ahmed was following some agenda, but refused to point finger at anyone.
The former prime minister dismissed the ‘minus-one formula’ as the brainchild of the establishment.
‘The serious political, constitutional and economic problems facing the nation cannot be solved by changing governments. We must respect each other’s mandate. We have never demanded mid-term elections. Even when we were disqualified, we did not call for a change in the government. The PPP has got its mandate from the people. Who are we to demand its removal?’
Mr Sharif said his party wanted the government to follow the constitutional path and ‘help us’ prevent future military takeovers by punishing Gen (retd) Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution and scrapping the 17th Amendment.
He said there was no reason for the government not to complete its five-year term if the PPP implemented the agreed agenda.
He said that although there was no need for it the PML-N was prepared to move a resolution in parliament demanding trial of Gen (retd) Musharraf if the government agreed to support it and promised to try the dictator under Article 6.
Mr Sharif said he had no personal grudge against the general, ‘but the nation cannot move forward and the problems facing it will not be solved unless the former dictator is punished in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and everything he has done is undone’.
Replying to a question, he praised the reported role of army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani for the reinstatement of sacked judges of the superior courts and said it was in line with the democratic spirit.
However, he said it would have been much better if the government had not allowed matters to reach a stage where ‘other forces had to intervene’.