By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Monday announced that his Muslim League-N party is quitting the ruling coalition, putting the alliance at risk ahead of elections for the country’s Presidency.
Sharif also announced to field candidate of his party for the Presidency and nominated a retired judge to challenge Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain leader Benazir Bhutto.
“With heavy heart and sorrow we have decided to quit the PPP-led coalition,” he told a news conference after chairing a high level party meeting Sharif accused Zardari, the co-chairman of the ruling peoples Party, of not honoring commitments to restore judges, sacked by President Pervez Musharraf when he imposed emergency in November last year.
He said that he and Zardari had signed an agreement with him on August 18 that after Musharaf’s impeachment or resignation, all judges would be restored within a day.
“Under the agreement, the judges should have been restored on August 19,” he said.
Sharif showed to journalists copies of documents signed by him and Asif Ali Zardari about the restoration of judges.
The ruling Peoples Party in reaction said that Mr Sharif has taken decision in haste.
“We think the decision is taken in haste. It would be better if he waited for some more time, ” PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.
“There was a need of patience and tolerance. We wish he should not break the coalition,” Babar said.
He said that Pakistan Peoples Party will not disturb Sharif’s PML-N government in the eastern province of Punjab.
Nawaz Sharif said that members of parliament of his party will sit on opposition benches but will not dislodge the government.
“My party joined the coalition with full sincerity and commitment to steer Pakistan towards full restoration of democracy, independence of judiciary and constitutional governance”.
“But unfortunately all promises made with us were not honoured,” he said.
“We therefore feel that these repeated defaults and violations have forced us to withdraw our support to the coalition government and sit in the opposition benches”.