World | Pakistan
Sharif seeks constitutional initiative to shed baggage of 'dictator era'
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday called for a prompt constitutional initiative in parliament by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government to turn around the system inherited from the era of dictatorship.
- By Shahid Hussain, Correspondent
- Published: 00:11 November 11, 2008
- Sharif emphasised the need for implementing the democratic agenda that had received massive public support during the February general election.
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
Islamabad: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday called for a prompt constitutional initiative in parliament by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government to turn around the system inherited from the era of dictatorship.
The leader of the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N party told reporters at the Punjab House that he had held comprehensive discussions with President Asif Ali Zardari when the two met over dinner at the presidency during the weekend.
He said he raised the need to repeal "distortions" to the constitution engineered by former president Pervez Musharraf under the 17th Amendment, the restoration of the original 1973 constitution, and the revival of the independent judiciary among other matters.
Sharif said he had emphasised the need for implementing the democratic agenda that had received massive public support during the February general election in which the PPP and the PML-N emerged as the best and second best respectively.
"We reject the Musharraf legacy and we do not consider that system as democracy," said the former prime minister, whose party pulled out of the ruling coalition in August after Zardari reneged on his commitment to restore judges sacked in November 2007.
Ready to help
The PML-N leader said he had assured Zardari of his party's cooperation in tackling the country's serious financial crisis and economic slide-down.
"We want to help in any way we can and we are extending our cooperation as we do not want to see the economy going down the drain."
Sharif stressed that doing away with the legacy of Musharraf was vital for the democratic future of the country and said the two major parties must live up to the charter of democracy they had signed in 2006.
He also underlined the importance of implementing the recent unanimous resolution of the two houses of parliament calling for an "urgent review" of the national security strategy and holding talks with those in the restive tribal belt who were ready to abide by the constitution of the country and rule of law.
The resolution had envisaged the formation of a parliamentary committee to monitor and pursue the implementation of the path set out by the parliament after holding a series of in-camera sessions on the unrest in tribal areas and other parts of the province bordering Afghanistan.
National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza named a 17-member committee in accordance with the resolution.
The panel includes representatives of all political parties in the parliament. It has been given a month to frame its rules.
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