Coalition leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif are in constant touch and have agreed that there will be no linkage of the judges’ restoration issue with any constitutional package. They have also agreed to meet in a few days to announce the plan for the restoration of the deposed judges.
Sources said that Nawaz Sharif had spoken to Zardari while senior minister and PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had a frank discussion with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, ensuring that no confusion was created on an issue that was settled in Murree on March 9.
Disturbed by media reports about the preparation of a constitutional package by Law Minister Farooq A Naek and its linkage with the judges’ restoration issue, Ch Nisar met Prime Minister Gilani early this week to make it clear that the judges’ restoration would be done through an NA resolution without linking it with anything else.
The sources said Ch Nisar also shared his party’s view on the convening of the first regular session of the National Assembly on April 10 without a proper agenda. The proposal to get an NA committee constituted on the judges’ restoration issue was opposed by the PML-N.
Nawaz Sharif personally spoke to Asif Ali Zardari during the latter’s visit to Raiwind on the issue of the constitutional package and its linkage with the restoration of judges. The sources said Nawaz told Zardari that the Murree Declaration was clear in all aspects as even the nitty-gritty was discussed on March 9 and it was agreed that through a simple resolution the judges would be restored.
During the same meeting, Nawaz pointed out that the judges’ restoration issue was a simple matter and, therefore, it should not be complicated.
Asif Ali Zardari had, in their joint press conference that followed their meeting, told the media persons that the judicial crisis was not as big as it was being portrayed. The PML-N is also not ready to agree to any formula that may exclude any of the deposed judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, from being restored.
"We are committed as reflected in the Murree Accord to reinstate the judiciary to the situation as it was on Nov 2, 2007," a Leaguer insisted. Though there are some leading PPP members, including a few ministers, who are creating confusion and inviting complications, the PML-N ranks and file are sticking to the Murree Declaration, which is seen as a test case to decide the future of the coalition.
Interestingly, while the Murree Declaration clearly said that the judges would be restored within 30 days of the setting up of the "federal government", Information Minister Sherry Rehman on Thursday threw a new spanner in the works by announcing that the countdown for the 30 days deadline would start only once all the provincial governments were constituted.
The date on which the 30-day countdown began has already changed thrice. Initially, it was Nawaz Sharif, who on the very first day of the National Assembly members oath-taking on March 17, had said the countdown had started that day.
But later the countdown date moved to March 25 when the newly-elected prime minister took oath of his office. A few days later, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik, who was the first induction into the cabinet, said the countdown would start from the day of the cabinet’s induction.
For all and sundry, the countdown started on March 31, the day when the cabinet took the oath. But now the information minister has come up with a fresh interpretation as to when the countdown would start though the Murree Declaration is not ambiguous on this.