All major media outlets are reporting that Pakistan’s two main opposition parties, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), have announced to form the new government together. News reports also suggest this understanding has been reached at both center as well as provincial level.
The photo below shows Asif Ali Zardari shaking hands with Nawaz Sharif at a press conference after their meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008.
According to the Daily News:
Nawaz Sharif maintained that there is no difference in the two parties on the restoration of the deposed judges. “We accept the mandate of PPP with an open heart and wish that PPP complete its five year term,” he said, adding, “struggle for restoration of judiciary will continue and CoD will also be followed.” PPP Co-Chairman, Asif Zardari said PPP and PML-N have decided to work together for democracy. However, he said, some of the matter are yet to be decided by the parties. Ali Zardari said that both the leaders have decided to stay united in the parliament. Nawaz Sharif said, ‘We fought against the dictatorship and will keep doing so.”
According to a Daily Dawn update of 23:38 hours PST
Former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday his party would form a coalition government with the party of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto after they won crucial elections. “We have agreed on a common agenda. We will work together to form the government in the centre and in the provinces,” Sharif told a joint news conference with Bhutto’s widower Asif Ali Zardari. “We will ensure that you complete a full five years’ term,” said Sharif, addressing Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)
What About the Judges?
According to Associated Press feed of 11:35 hours USA CST:
Sharif said the two parties had agreed in principle on restoration of judges purged by Musharraf when he declared emergency rule late last year — an issue that many see as a possible source of discord between the parties. “In principle there’s no disagreement on restoration of the judiciary. We will work on the modalities in parliament,” said Sharif, who has previously demanded the immediate reinstatement of the detained ex-Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.
What Do You Think?
Our question to readers is; What do you think? Is this a good move, a bad move, a hasty move or were there any alternatives that got over looked. We would like to hear from you.
References:
1. The Daily Dawn Pakistan update here
2. CNN story here
3. Associated Press story here
4. The Daily News Pakistan update here
5. The Daily Jang Pakistan update here
6. BBC story here
Photo Credits: Associated Press
following was missed somehow from my last comments:
Some of my friends and I are writing to US Senators, Congressman/ women to let Democracy flourish and stop aliginig US w/ a Dictator. Please do write to them!
Pakistanis can learn democracy at their own, they dont need any intervention or quick solution.
I am writing to close friends of mine to fund some lobbying activities in US to better inform US about Pakistan’s issue and real needs. Believe me leading US Presdential Candidates, Senators, Congressman/ woman, Media DOESNOT know what is reality in Pakistan. If you are interested in this activity, please wirte to me at email listed at the end.
6. Work on Interprovincial issues, listen to needs of FATA, NA, Sindh, Balochistan, Kashmir and far flung areas in Punjab
7. If someone of your family member is elected to office in recent election, talk to them on these things. I plan to do with two who got elected. One in Punjab Provincial Assembly and other on National Assembly.
Sorry to be so passionate but I just hate constant fighting and whining..
Footnotes:
1. As always Constructive criticism is welcome! and won’t reply to any negative criticism.
2.If I am factually correct on ay of above, please correct me
3. If you want to write me in person, please write to Scheraz@hotmail.com.
In name of Pakistan’s National Reconciliation, and moving forward shall we agree on :
1. Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari to work with Musharaf. If they impeach him, it will be blocked in Senate where Musharaf’s party still has majority.
How long we will keep fighting and dont work on real issues ?
2. Request ex-Chief Justice Iftikhar to accept retirement and on his recommendation Musharaf to announce new CJ. IT CANNOT be anyone of Justices who took oath under PCO since Musharaf’s coup. It includes ex-Chief Justice Iftikhar, Bhagwandas etc. You cannot have both ways! Once you endorsed a PCO you cannot change your mind and STAND for something.
3. New COAS is doing great. He told his command to stay AWAY from politics otherwise face MUSIC. This is evident from fair elections which shows ISI was NOT involved.
So, Musharaf, Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari should not ASK him to arbitrate. Resolve differences in smoke filled rooms but for God’s sake dont ask new COAS!!!!!
4. To handle extremists, build coaliation with FATA tribe Jirga leaders. They are VOICE of their people, no matter how conservative they are!
It should be noted that FATA acceded to Pakistan in 1947 on EXPRESS and Sovereign guarntee that Pakistan will Let them live Autonomously and FATA tribes will be Sovereign in their own region. So legally if Pakistan Army attacks them on whatever pretext (right or wrong) it is not adhering to Sovereign gurantee and FATA tribes are NOT bound to follow Pakistan Constition and Pakistan Army presences can be considered as invasions/ agression.
5. For God’s sake, Educated Elite should step away from emails, blogs, web sites, Coeffe tables and go do something pratically!!!!!!
It is easy to press SEND button but real change will happend when Educated Elite will be part of solution..whatever capacity it is.
>>It includes ME as well.
MQ: Your neat and clean demarcation looks good on the paper and may hold in extreme cases i.e. ANP vs. MMA. But I invite you and others to examine the list of PPP & PML contestants. Very often you will find a ‘Choudhary Chema’ on PPP ticket running against a ‘Choudhary Chatta’ on PML ticket in 2008. Go back to 2002 elections and you may find the arrangement in reverse. And if you look any deeper you may find Messrs. Chema & Chatta actually related to each other. Election after election the power remains in the same socio-economic class if not in the same family. Only newcomers are the children of the generals who end up marrying into the power-class any way. Am I being cynical? Yes. Few years from now you will see the next generation of same families in power in Pakistan.
I just watched Sheikh Rashid on TV telling his interviewer, in his usual style, something to the effect that Shaukat Aziz was a useless prime minister and that his economic policies and claims were phony!!! He also claimed that it was he (Rashid) who had given the title of “Shortcut” to Shaukat Aziz. (This claim is not true, though. I think it was columnist Khalid Hasan who came up with this title.)
Looking at ZARDARI and NAWAZ shaking hands and being all smiles in front of the media reminds me of the popular saying, ”Keep your Friends Close and Your Enemies Even Closer!”
Remember what happened the last time we had a fully compliant President (R Tarrar) and a majority leader (Nawaz Sharif)? The Army moved in, Musharraf came to power and nota single soul protested (they distributed sweets instead on the ouster of the then dictator & Amir ul Momineen wannabe Nawaz Sharif). Has anything changed between now and then? I do not think so! These folks cannot even spell coalition let alone make and sustain it to form a Government in Pakistan.
PMA,
Ain’t we being too cynical?
I think there are distinct and clearly discernible ideological differences between the major parties. If we try to measure them on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being extreme liberal (in the Pakistani context) and 10 being extreme conservative, ANP would fall somewhere between 1 and 3, PPP would fall between 2 and 5. MQM would fall somewhere on the left, PML would fall somewhere between 5-6 and the religious parties, of course, are 8-10. About PML(Q), your guess is as good as mine.
Of course, there are individual turncoats but by and large the different parties can easily be identified as liberal or conservative.
This is a great move, and let us not judge these two men solely based on General Musharraf’s propaganda against them and let the actions speak for themselves.
They have sided with the lawyers and the judges and the democratic currents in the scociety. They have read the writing on the wall, it is that the common person in Pakistan is politically awake right now.
Pakistani voters have nullified the pejorative and derogatory remarks made against them by their own so called “president”.
They have shown the world that they are not religious extremists and that they believe in democracy, due process and the rule of law. Unfortunately it is the General who is forcing himself upon the people of Pakistan after his party was routed and humiliated by those he claimed “were not fit for democracy”.
Let us give some credit to these two politicians who have broken frome their past and are joining hands in greater national interest. Something that was rare in the kleptocracy imposed by General Musharraf.
Much is made about PPP & PML being two different parties. A close examination will tell us that the individuals elected (or not elected) for the assemblies approach both parties for the party election ticket. If failed to get ticket from their preferred party, they simply go to the other party with the same demand. Similarly each party grants party ticket to the individuals deemed most electable from their region. There are no ideologies involved here. Would any one tell us what are the ideological differences between Choudary brothers of Gujrat and Shariff brothers of Lahore. In my lifetime I have seen Abida Hussain/Fakhar Imam in many parties. And that is to name few. All candidates are rich industrialists and landlords who spend their own money to get elected. And once elected they must recover their investment. In Pakistani lexicon it is called ‘horse trading’ and ’saode bazi’. Now is the season of buying and selling. Let us see who can buy whom. And do not forget our ultimate paymasters sit in Washington and not in GHQ. If the two parties got together and formed a government and military approved of it, it would be because that is what was demanded by the paymasters.