Zardari-Sharif talks inconclusive

Islamabad: Pakistan's top political leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif held a lengthy meeting on Wednesday but the talks between the allies failed to resolve differences on modalities for restoring the deposed judges.

Zardari, co-chairman of Pakistan People's Party, met Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif for nearly three hours at the latter's Raiwind estate near Lahore.

They also discussed the PPP-proposed package of amendments to the constitution and the prospects of initiating a move in the parliament to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, party sources said.

PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal told reporters the talks remained inconclusive and the two leaders would meet again tomorrow.

Strengthening

He said the two sides were in agreement with foiling any attempts to undermine the PPP-led coalition government and maintaining the partnership between the two major parties for strengthening the democratic setup and overcoming the challenges confronting the country.

Iqbal confirmed that the meeting could not bridge the gap between the positions of the two parties over how the judges deposed by Musharraf in November last year should be reinstated.

PML-N spokesman Siddiqul Farooq said the party was hopeful that the judges' issue would be resolved by July, adding that the coalition had the required two-thirds majority in a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament for impeaching Musharraf.

"Once a consensus between the two main parties about impeachment is made all members of the coalition will support it," Farooq said, referring to two junior components of the coalition, Awami National Party and Jamiat Ulema Islam.

The PML-N has continued to insist on the judges reinstatement through a National Assembly resolution and an executive order in accordance with the agreement that Zardari and Sharif had jointly announced in March.

Constitutional crisis

The PPP says it remains committed to the objective but wants to restore the judges through an amendment to the constitution in order to foreclose possibility of any constitutional crisis.

Lawyers and political workers staged last week a long march to Islamabad, holding a massive rally near parliament to press the demand for the judges' restoration. Main lawyer leader Ahsan said yesterday the long march had demonstrated the popular sentiment for the revival of the independent judiciary.

Brushing aside criticism of the bar leadership for not holding a decisive sit-in near the parliament after the march, Ahsan told a news conference that the lawyer community had not given up its struggle and the options of another march along with a sit-in remained open.

Musharraf said earlier this month he was a constitutionally elected president and would not resign under pressure. He asked those wanting to oust him to try the constitutional way of impeachment.