World | Pakistan
Sharif: We will not help dictator
The short-lived political honeymoon between arch-rivals turned friends is over within 42 days and the people of Pakistan will continue to suffer in the wake of shortage of electricity and food.
- By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter
- Published: 00:03 May 13, 2008
Dubai: The short-lived political honeymoon between arch-rivals turned friends is over within 42 days and the people of Pakistan will continue to suffer in the wake of shortage of electricity and food.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif's decision to quit the government had been predicted, as he was committed to fulfil his promises to the nation to reinstate the supreme court judges axed by President Pervez Musharraf on November 3 last year.
But this was not the only issue on which cracks developed between the PML-N and Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The real bone of contention is Musharraf's presidency.
Marathon meetings
Sharif was determined to oust Musharraf at any cost but Zardari did not want to do it immediately. He told Sharif in marathon meetings in Dubai and then in London to be patient, explaining to him the reasons behind keeping Musharraf in the presidency. But Sharif disagreed.
The late Benazir Bhutto was allowed to return to Pakistan under a deal after Musharraf issued the National Reconciliation Ordinance withdrawing cases against political leaders. Zardari has also been cleared of almost all corruption cases, a move his opponents saw as being politically motivated.
Sharif has taken a strong stance and refused to succumb to any pressure on the issue of judges and ousting Musharraf.
The US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher also met Sharif and Zardari separately on Sunday in London to break the political logjam facing the coalition, but failed.
Gulf News has learnt that the PPP would have agreed to the restoration of the deposed judges on the condition that they would not remove Musharraf as president. But Sharif did not agree.
And it was evident from Sharif's remarks at the news conference on Sunday: "We will not do anything that benefits [the] dictatorship of Pervez Musharraf. To strengthen democracy we will not become part of any conspiracy against the democratic system and will not let democratic forces to be weakened."
Whatever the case may be, the current scenario is likely to lead to a severe political crisis in the country, which is facing acute shortage of electricity, wheat, rice and other food items.
Foreign investment has stopped because of the political skirmishes since the elections were conducted.
People are waiting for the current champions of democracy to solve their problems. The Pakistan rupee has touched a record low of Rs70 against the dollar while the inflation has hit a record high 17 per cent. But the government has fallen flat even before taking off.
The budget session is approaching next month but Ishaq Dar, Federal Finance Minister - the man from the PML-N who was supposed to present the federal budget-is also resigning from the post, further deepening the financial and political crises.
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