Pakistan's new balance of power

[mujahideen]

Rivals’ turning into allies good news for masses: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif said it is glad news that the rival parties of the past have entered the circle of friendship with each other. Addressing members-elect of Pakistan People’s party (PPP), N-League and other allies parties at a dinner hosted by him, he said if the wishes of the people could not be materialized, then their representatives would be held accountable to Allah Almighty and people. Mian Shahbaz Sharif said the leadership of both the parties has become more prudent, while living abroad, adding, ‘We would pledge for the freedom of judiciary besides renewing the Charter of Democracy today (on Sunday).’ The conspiracies are still hatched but the sun for democracy will at last rise, he added. PPP Punjab President Makhdoom Mehmud Qureshi said he admitted the people’s decision by not accepting the offer of premiership, adding the past experience of coalition governments was not a pleasant occurrence; however, ‘now, we will resolve all our problems through joint efforts.’

Courtesy Geo

 

[mujahideen]

Farooq MQM leader in NA

LAHORE: The MQM on Friday nominated Dr Farooq Sataar as its parliamentary leader and Haidar Abaas Rizvi as deputy parliamentary leader in the National Assembly. According to Geo, MQM Coordination Committee Convener made the announcement during an address to the MPs-elect of the party at 9-zero. Dr Farooq also announced that Sardar Ahmad and Faisal Sabzwari would be MQM’s parliamentary and deputy parliamentary leaders in the Sindh Assembly.

daily times monitor
Courtesy Daily Times

 

[mujahideen]

The art of not saying much

ISLAMABAD - Asif Ali Zardari has mastered what many politicians would give their right arm for. The art of speaking non-committally while actually appearing to be articulate.
It’s a charming trait, one that a politician living in the age of the soundbite cannot afford not to have. In the day of the electronic media, more than ever, what you say on a prior occasion can come back and bite you. And with developments as fast as this era’s, priorities change rapidly, giving a leader little leeway to put something in black and white at any particular instance.
But it is also something that can have adverse effects on the general public. For instance, for a party having the largest vote bank in the country, simply emerging as the largest parliamentary presence is not good enough; it was expected to have bagged at least enough seats to get a simple majority on its own, subsequent alliances aside. The PML-N’s success relative to earlier predictions is largely being attributed to its clarity on the judges’ issue. The PPP wasn’t quite clear. Party stalwarts might say it was clear on the basic issue of the independence of the judiciary, but that’s something even the Presidential camp would say it is clear on.
“We will cross the bridge when we come to it”, true as it might be, is not something the people want to hear.
In his defence, Mr Zardari protests of a damned-if-do-damned-if-you-don’t scenario. On one hand, we are derided on the issue of party democracy while on the other, when a leader starts behaving democratically and says things are going to be decided by the party itself, he is blamed for obscuring things.
A good argument, there. But one that might come in handy for longer than it should.

Umar Aziz Khan
The Nation

 

[mujahideen]

Nawaz on path of confrontation, says Shujaat

ISLAMABAD (APP) - PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari is showing maturity in moving forward political affairs while, PML-N leader Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is indulging its party in creating atmosphere of confrontation in the country.
President Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain made these remarks while talking to a private television on Wednesday. Nawaz Sharif is doing politics of rigidity and just for satisfying his ego, which is against the democratic norms.
He said Pervez Musharraf was a constitutionally elected President. Shujaat said PML-N should avoid its efforts to create atmosphere of confrontation between Parliament and Judiciary, putting aside personal interests for the supreme national cause.
To a question, he said PML-Q will do positive opposition in center and Punjab and only endorse the policies and suggestions floated by treasury benches for the welfare of common man.
Responding to another question, he said PML-Q would field its candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the National Assembly while decision on Premiership candidate would be taken after seeing nominee of the coalition partners.

The Nation

 

[mujahideen]

Would-be coalition partners considering amnesty for all political prisoners

* Say they will try to resolve ‘missing persons’ issue

By Irfan Ghauri

ISLAMABAD: The would-be coalition partners in the new government have agreed in principle to grant amnesty to political prisoners across the board, sources told Daily Times on Wednesday.

“The component parties in the incoming government have agreed in principle that all political prisoners should be released under a general amnesty plan” a senior PPP leader said on condition of anonymity.

Some nationalist parties, especially in Balochistan and Sindh, claim that dozens of their workers and leaders were either illegally picked up by secret agencies or were facing high treason charges and languishing in jails.

Prominent among them are Baloch nationalists Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Habib Jalib, Senator Sanaullah Baloch and Dr Safdar Sarki, a Sindhi nationalist. Marri and Bugti tribes claim that dozens of members of their clans have been picked up by agencies or facing fake cases just because of political animosity.

Missing persons: When asked would the proposed amnesty plan also include the missing persons, he said the component parties would try to resolve this issue as well. “All the three major partners in the would-be government – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Awami National Party have been demanding the release of all political prisoners and end to the military operations in Balochistan and FATA,” he said.

The PPP had recently apologised to people of Balochistan for excesses against the Baloch. In a meeting of its elected members on February 26, the party passed a unanimous resolution apologising for the atrocities and injustices committed against the Baloch.

The PPP leader, who has been negotiating priority agenda among the new partners, said there were some legal and constitutional issues on certain cases.

Although the coalition parties have to come up with a plan, he said all of them agreed that political detainees should be released to create a better atmosphere for national reconciliation.

He said his party’s agenda included an end to the military operation in Balochistan, the release of all political prisoners including Akhtar Mengal, and the deployment of Levies instead of the police in the province.

Asked if the withdrawal of cases was part of the proposed plan, he said: “At least the release of all the political prisoners is certain, though in phases.”

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[mujahideen]

PML-N to join PPP-ANP coalition in NWFP

* PPP provincial president welcomes news of PML-N coalition move

By Zakir Hassnain

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) decided ‘in principle’ on Tuesday night that it would join the Awami National Party (ANP)-Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) coalition government in the NWFP, PML-N Provincial President Pir Sabir Shah told Daily Times on Wednesday.

“Both sides discussed the formation of the coalition government in depth. We decided in principle that the PML-N will join the coalition in the NWFP as the three parties are coalition partners at the Centre,” said Shah after a meeting between the ANP and PML-N provincial leadership.

The PML-N did not place any conditions before the ANP leadership, “however, the formula should be the same as followed at the Centre,” he added.

Shah said that as the PML-N had not been part of ANP-PPP discussions on forming the coalition government, “the three parties will have to sit together again to finalise details of what the coalition setup should be”.

ANP NWFP President Afrasiab Khattak said the three parties would continue to strive to form a coalition government in the province similar to the one at the Centre.

Good news: PPP NWFP President Rahim Dad Khan told Daily Times: “We have not met them [ANP leaders] yet. I don’t have details of what they [ANP and PML-N] discussed and decided at the meeting.” But, he said the news was good. “There is no problem. We [PPP] have no reservations about them. PML-N is with us at the Centre and it should be with us in the province to resolve problems the province is confronted with.”

The ANP delegation at the meeting included Chief Minister-designate Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain, while the PML-N delegation included former chief minister Sardar Mehtab Khan.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[mujahideen]

Zardari showing political maturity, says Shujaat

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said on Wednesday that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was inching towards political maturity whereas the “adamant attitude” of former premier Nawaz Sharif could pose a threat to democracy.

He told reporters at his residence that Nawaz was doing politics of rigidity “just to satisfy his ego, which is against democratic norms”.

He said the PML-Q would field its candidates for the speaker and deputy speaker in the National Assembly whereas a decision to nominate its premiership candidate would be taken after seeing the nominee of the winning parties.

He said, “The new assembly could only complete its term if ... [it maintains] good working relationship with the president,” he said.

The PPP had “undoubtedly” gained the mandate of the people whereas Nawaz had bagged votes due to “other reasons”, Shujaat said.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[mujahideen]

3 more PML-Q MPAs join forward block

LAHORE: Three more provincial assembly members of Pakistan Muslim League-Q have joined forward block in Punjab Assembly brought the number of forward block members to 11. The members belonged to Sahiwal are Pir Villayat Shah Kakgha elected from PP-220, Chaudhry Muhammad Arshad Jatt from PP-225 Chichawatni and Malik Muhammad Langaryal from PP-226 Kasoowal. Sources said that 20 more MPAs of PML-Q would join the forward block in coming days.

Courtesy Geo

 

[mujahideen]

Efforts accelerated for formation of new govt

ISLAMABAD: The political parties have accelerated efforts for the formation of new government and the consultation process for the said purpose has been underway with the hope that the important decisions will be made with in couple of days. Three main parties of the future coalition government, PPP, PML-N and ANP have almost completed consultation process with agreement on all big issues. However, the PPP has yet to announce its nominee for the slot of Prime Minister although the issue of Speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly has already been resolved. Although Makhdoom Amin Fahim is still in race for Prime Minister-ship, however, after the reservations of Khawaja Asif over the candidature of Fahim, the situation has changed. It is said that PPP will announce its nominee for the slot of Prime Minister during the maiden session of the new parliament.

Courtesy Geo

 

[mujahideen]

PPP, PML-N hammer out cabinet deal

By Amir Wasim

ISLAMABAD, March 12: The Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N have agreed to share positions in the next cabinet and parliamentary committees according to the proportion of their seats in the National Assembly.

PML-N leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi told Dawn after a meeting of his party at Frontier House here on Wednesday that the formula for distribution of ministries at the centre and in Punjab had been finalised. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif presided over the meeting.

According to the formula, the PPP will have 54 per cent share in the federal cabinet, the PML-N 40 per cent and the Awami National Party six per cent.

Mr Hashmi said the ministries would be allocated after negotiations. He said the heads of the parliamentary committees would also be nominated through mutual understanding under the same formula.

He said opposition members would also be asked to head some parliamentary committees.

Mr Hashmi alleged that the presidency had made as many as 21 attempts to create rift among political parties. He said the presidency was also creating hurdles in the formation of governments in Punjab and Balochistan.

He said the political parties had foiled all “attacks from the Aiwan-i-Sadr” with the support of the people.

The PML-N leader said there had been no change in Nawaz Sharif’s stand on the legitimacy of President Pervez Musharraf.

He said lawyers, the media and members of civil society would be taken into confidence about every decision.

He said supremacy of the Constitution and the restoration of judges would be the first priority of the government.

Sources said leaders of the PPP and the PML-N would meet in Islamabad on Thursday to give a final shape to the power-sharing formula.

PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal said Mr Sharif had taken the party into confidence about his talks with PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari.

He said the PML-N had recognised the PPP’s right to nominate a candidate for the prime minister’s post, but it had requested that the person should have an ability to implement the Charter of Democracy in letter and in spirit. He said the PML-N would fully support the PPP’s prime minister.

In reply to a question about the strategy if President Musharraf decided to challenge restoration of the deposed judges through a parliamentary resolution he said no individual had the right to bulldoze the decision of parliament.

Mr Hashmi said there could be confrontation between the new assembly and the Aiwan-i-Sadr if President Musharraf did not respect the will of the people. He said the people wanted the judges restored because they had been removed unconstitutionally.

Mr Sharif has convened the first meeting of the party’s parliamentary group at the Parliament House before the National Assembly session on March 17.

PPP, PML-N hammer out cabinet deal -DAWN - Top Stories; March 13, 2008

 

[mujahideen]

Question mark over inaugural session of Frontier Assembly

Law Department yet to forward summary to governor

Thursday, March 13, 2008
By Syed Bukhar Shah

PESHAWAR: Confusion still persists over the exact date of the first session of the NWFP Assembly after President Pervez Musharraf's announcement to convene the National Assembly on March 17.

The NWFP Law Department has not yet sent any summary to the governor for summoning the assembly session. However, the assembly officials have made all necessary arrangements for holding the first session in the assembly hall, constructed and renovated recently.

Several senior parliamentarians and new entrants to the NWFP Assembly, such as Abdul Akbar Khan and Alamzeb Khan, told 'The News' that they did not know about the exact date for the inaugural session.

The parliamentarians-elect said the president had already summoned the National Assembly session for March 17 and normally the provincial assemblies were convened a few days after the National Assemblyís session. Since the speaker and the deputy speaker have not been appointed, the governor could ask any senior member to administer oath to the newly-elected MPAs.

On the first day, the members will take oath as MPAs and later elect the speaker and the deputy speaker.

In the previous provincial assembly, deputy speaker Ikramullah Shahid had resigned after his own colleagues from the MMA had accused him of horse-trading during the Senate elections.

Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan also quit during the last days of the MMA government when the JUI-F moved a vote of no-confidence motion against him.

The largest parliamentary groups, ANP and PPP, will form the government in the NWFP and both the coalition partners have already decided a power-sharing formula under which the ANP has nominated its chief minister and assigned 12 ministries to its members. But the PPP has kept the names of its cabinet members secret and suggested to its partner to review the formula so as to accommodate the nominees of the PML-N and the JUI-F in the provincial cabinet.

The ANP leadership is opposed to readjustment and says they had already announced the names of the ministers from its own quota but the PPP leaders hoped the number of cabinet members might be increased in case their partners did not agree to their suggestion.

Question mark over inaugural session of Frontier Assembly

 

[mujahideen]

PML-N not offered to join NWFP coalition govt: Sabir

Thursday, March 13, 2008
By our correspondent

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz NWFP President Pir Sabir Shah said on Wednesday that they had not received any offer from the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to join the coalition government in the province.

"We have not nominated anyone for the provincial cabinet as we have no knowledge of the reported offer of two ministries to the PML-N," he told The News. However, he said, the coalition partners, who would form the government at the centre, would follow the same formula in the Frontier province.

The PML-N leader said responsible committees of the coalition partners would soon sit together to finalise the modalities for the new set-up.

Former NWFP chief ministers Pir Sabir Shah and Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan are the members of the committee representing the PML-N. The ANP committee comprising Afrasyab Khattak, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Amir Haider Hoti, Baz Mohammad Khan and Bashir Bilour has already held meetings with the PPP body headed by its Provincial President Rahimdad Khan with members, including Sardar Ali Khan and Kiramatullah Khan Chargharmati.

Following the decision of the committees, the ANP announced the names of its cabinet members but later the PPP asked it to reduce the strength of the ministers so that other coalition partners, including PML-N, JUI-F and independents, could be accommodated in the cabinet.

PML-N not offered to join NWFP coalition govt: Sabir

 

[mujahideen]

CEC members ask probing questions from Nawaz

By Dilshad Azeem

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) top brass faced an embarrassing situation when members of the central executive committee on Wednesday raised the unanswered question of whether their party was not going to validate the Nov 3 Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) by taking ministerial oaths from Pervez Musharraf.

"Neither the PML-N top leaders nor negotiators came up with a clear and satisfactory reply when this question was raised during the meeting," sources told The News.PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif and president Shahbaz Sharif simply contended that their party's cabinet members or parliamentarians would never accept the PCO. "But practically we are going to accept it," sources quoted one of the CEC members as telling the Sharif brothers and their negotiators dealing with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) for a joint government at the Centre.

In the meeting, PML-N Vice-President Syed Zafar Ali Shah was amongst vocal members with arguments that Pervez Musharraf was the architect of the PCO and taking oath from him would be tantamount to accepting each and every extra-constitutional step that he had taken.

After a while, Shahbaz Sharif managed to divert the topic as the sitting members, mostly having eyes on cabinet slots or getting tickets for the by-polls, preferred to remain silent, sources said.

Nawaz Sharif, while chairing the meeting at the Frontier House, inducted two more members into the negotiating team holding talks with the PPP over pending issues related to the government formation and other contentious matters.

Newly-elected MNA from Chakwal Ayaz Amir and PML-N Vice-President Imdad Ali Chandio, sources said, were inducted as CEC members. The PML-N team would now comprise a total six members, including Khwaja Muhammad Asif, Senator Ishaq Dar, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Ahsan Iqbal.

In another development, insiders said, Nawaz Sharif clearly told the meeting that it was agreed between the PPP and the PML-N that they would not field candidates against each other on seats they are vacating, respectively.

"The seats being vacated by PML-N members, who won on more than one seat, would have no rival from the PPP side; however, they would have to make adjustments on seats of other parties.

Another question was raised as to how judges would be restored through a resolution in the National Assembly and what would be the mechanism for it."Who would implement the resolution for the restoration of judges," was another question by many members.

The members pointed out that there are hundreds of resolutions passed not only by the National Assembly but also by the Senate but all remained unimplemented. "On this the PML-N leadership said the Bhurban Declaration provides for the restoration of judges through a resolution and there is no ambiguity as we will go ahead with our joint decision."

Nawaz Sharif told CEC members in clear terms that the PML-N would continue to back the PPP-led government at the Centre in order to ensure exit of Pervez Musharraf from the Presidency.

"What I can assure you is that neither would we accept the PCO nor Musharraf," Nawaz told the members. At the same time, Nawaz Sharif told the meeting that PML-N MNAs would get their due share in the cabinet in accordance with proportionate representation.

"We, the PPP, the ANP and Fazlur Rehman would get the cabinet portfolios according to seats."No name was taken in the CEC meeting about possible members of the PML-N to be given cabinet slots in the first or second phase, insiders said.

However, they agreed that most of the members presently close to the party leadership would have ministries of their choice after the power-sharing is worked out as far as the ministerial portfolios are concerned.

CEC members ask probing questions from Nawaz

 

[mujahideen]

PML-N seeks ‘strategic’ ministries

By Our Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD, March 13: A committee of the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N discussed on Thursday allocation of cabinet positions among coalition partners at the centre and in Punjab.

Sources told Dawn that although there was a general agreement among the parties over a formula for representation in the federal cabinet and parliamentary standing committees, there were differences over some important ministries.

Senator Ishaq Dar, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Khwaja Mohammad Asif of the PML-N and Senator Raza Rabbani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Khursheed Shah, Sherry Rehman, Syed Naveed Qamar and Senator Farooq Hamid Naek of the PPP attended the meeting held at the Parliament House.

A PPP leader said the PML-N was demanding some ‘strategic’ ministries.

The sources said the two parties were yet to decide about the ministries of interior, finance, foreign affairs and defence.

PPP information secretary Sherry Rehman told reporters that the next round of talks would be held on Monday. She said representatives of the Awami National Party would also attend the meeting.

Naveed Qamar denied there were differences between the two sides.

Meanwhile, ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan and PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar separately called on PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari to discuss matters relating to formation of the government.

The ANP chief told reporters that his party had decided to join the coalition to save the country which was facing a serious crisis. He naming a candidate for the post of prime minister was the right of the PPP.

PML-N seeks ‘strategic’ ministries -DAWN - Top Stories; March 14, 2008

 

[mujahideen]

PPP, PML-N to finalise govt formation on 17th

* Agree on power-sharing formula * Nisar predicts small cabinet

By Muhammad Bilal

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday agreed on a power-sharing formula, which will be finalised in a formal meeting of all coalition partners scheduled for Monday, March 17. The two parties discussed matters related to the formation of a coalition government, PPP Information Secretary Sherry Rehman and senior leader Naveed Qamar told reporters after Thursday’s “informal meeting” at Parliament House. They said there had been no disagreements on any issues so far. PML-N leader Nisar Ali Khan said the two parties had “completed their homework” and the top leaders would formally announce the agreed formula on Monday. Small cabinet: Nisar said his party was not interested in getting ministries. He said the PML-N wanted the size of the cabinet to be reduced. “It will not be a 70-member cabinet of the previous government. It will be a small cabinet,” he said. To a question, he said the misunderstanding created by PML-N leader Khawaja Asif’s remarks on PPP Vice Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim was now over. “It is a closed chapter now,” he added. He said it was the PPP’s internal matter to nominate a candidate for prime minister, and the PML-N would not interfere. Sources privy to the meeting said there was a general agreement on reducing the size of the cabinet of ministers, and the two parties had finalised the distribution of ministries among coalition partners. They said the Awami National Party (ANP) was likely to get one slot in the cabinet and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) led by Fazlur Rehman was expected to get two. The sources said the prerogative of naming ministers for the slots allotted to each coalition partner would be left to the parties. The cabinet would be announced in two phases, they said, and about 18 members were likely to take oath in the first phase. The parties in the coalition have short-listed their candidates for ministries. Raza Rabbani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Khursheed Shah, Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Farooq H Naek represented the PPP in Thursday’s meeting, and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Ishaq Dar represented the PML-N. The PPP now has 120 seats in the National Assembly, and the PML-N 90. The ANP has 13 seats in the National Assembly and the JUI-F has 6.

Courtesy Daily Times