Make-or-break meeting between Zardari, Nawaz on Tuesday

By IANS,

Islamabad : In what can be a make-or-break meeting for the four-month-old ruling alliance of Pakistan, coalition partners Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif will meet Tuesday to discuss reinstatement of judges and the possible impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf.


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Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Zardari and chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Sharif will be meeting at lunch Aug 5 at the Zardari House, media reports said Sunday.

The meeting “will decide whether the PML-N would sit on the opposition benches or rejoin the cabinet if the PPP agrees to the demand for the restoration of the deposed judges under the Murree Declaration”, The News said.

PML-N, the second largest party in the ruling coalition is unhappy over Zardari reneging on his promise to restore the sacked judges. This prompted the party to pull its ministers out of the government, even as it remains in the coalition.

Prior to the all-important meeting between the two, Sharif has summoned central working committee and parliamentary party of the PML-N Monday in Lahore to consider the current political scenario and arrive at a consensus that will form the basis of talks with Zardari.

Sources said PPPs’ legal team had formulated a new set of proposals for the meeting to settle the issue of the restoration of deposed judges and it would be presented to Sharif Tuesday, the newspaper said.

However according to the newspaper, the PML-N will reject any other formula for the restoration of judges.

PML-N sources said they would only accept the proposal that would implement the Murree Declaration and there would be no compromise on this issue.

The PML-N has already given a deadline till Aug 14 to the PPP to make a decision whether it was ready to restore the deposed judges in accordance with the declaration and also to impeach President Musharraf.

Sources in the PML-N said the party was ready to sacrifice the Punjab government if the deposed judges were not restored and this would be communicated to Zardari in the meeting.

Meanwhile, Asif Ali Zardari has also summoned his close aides Monday to finalise the agenda for the Tuesday’s crucial meeting with Sharif.

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