World | Pakistan
Coalition in no danger - Gilani
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday dispelled the impression that decisions of his government were being made at Zardari House, the residence in Islamabad of Pakistan People's Party leader Asif Ali Zardari.
- By Shahid Hussain, Correspondent
- Published: 00:08 July 15, 2008
Islamabad: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday dispelled the impression that decisions of his government were being made at Zardari House, the residence in Islamabad of Pakistan People's Party leader Asif Ali Zardari.
Talking to reporters after attending a ceremony, the prime minister said this was a wrong impression and pointed out that since he assumed the office around four months ago he had not visited the Zardari House even once.
Despite a general perception that PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif were drifting apart over the unresolved issue of reinstatement of deposed judges, Gilani asserted the partnership between the two major parties was in no danger.
Consultations
"Nawaz Sharif will not leave us," the prime minister said, adding that the PML-N chief had nominated the party's parliamentary leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to hold consultations with the PPP.
He said talks with the PML-N parliamentary leader would be on issues like expansion of cabinet and appointment of parliamentary secretaries and heads of standing committees of the National Assembly.
Gilani had a phone conversation at the weekend with Nawaz Sharif, who is currently in London where according to PML-N sources he would address a gathering of party workers today and speak about national issues and the current political situation.
Several key leaders of the party including party secretary general Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Javed Hashmi and Ahsan Iqbal have already reached London after being summoned by Sharif for consultations.
PML-N insists the judges deposed by President Pervez Musharraf under emergency rule last year should be restored without further delay in accordance with the March agreement between Sharif and Zardari through a National Assembly resolution and executive order.
But the PPP, which changed its mind later, has taken the position that the restoration of judges would be done through an amendment to the constitution in a constitutional package that it has prepared and presented to coalition partners for their suggestions.
The fate of the package remains uncertain as the PML-N is apparently opposed to linking the judges' restoration with it.
National convention
Meanwhile the lawyer community plans to hold a national convention of representatives of bar associations across the country in Lahore this week to finalise a strategy to gear up its movement for the reinstatement of the judges.
Lawyers last month organised a massive march to Islamabad but dispersed without staging an expected sit-in outside the parliament. Another long march is now being planned for which a date is to be fixed by the upcoming convention.
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