LAHORE, Feb 19: Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan has advised President Pervez Musharraf and PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Husain to resign from their respective posts in the wake of what he called a humiliating defeat of the King’s party.

Talking to reporters at his office, Aitzaz suggested the PPP and the PML-N should form a coalition government, terming the proposed arrangement the best remedy to the widespread ills in the country.

Mr Ahsan said Makhdoom Amin Fahim was a suitable candidate for the premier’s slot and added the party would make a final decision in this regard. “Even Benazir Bhutto trusted him a lot,” he said.

He said though the government left no stone unturned to rig the election, the polling day remained relatively transparent. “Much credit goes to the lawyers, who stuck to their principled stand and helped in compelling the powers to refrain from interfering with the polling process,” he added.

He said he wished the PPP formed the government in the centre at least with simple majority. “But I would have to give credit to Mian Nawaz Sharif, who not only realised the importance of the independence of the judiciary but also benefited from it,” he added.

Mr Ahsan said the people knew about the treatment meted out to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who along with his children, was not even allowed to come out in the lawn of their house for sun in winter.

He said although Gen Musharraf (retired) campaigned vigorously for the PML-Q, the party was not able to get more than 40 seats out of 270. “The people have simply rejected Musharraf’s policies and the King’s party,” he said.

He said the mandate given to the PPP, PML-N and the ANP was against Gen Musharraf (retired), who had lost justification for staying in power. He proposed holding of presidential election after making the caretaker prime minister Mohammad Mian Soomro the president.

Ruling out any cooperation with the PML-Q, Mr Ahsan said PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had already declared the King’s party as the `killer league’. “In Punjab Mian Nawaz Sharif is likely to make a government. If the PPP don’t form a government in the centre through cooperation with the PML-N, soon conflicts would start emerging within the parliament,” he added.

He said it was evident that the government spent millions of rupees on rigging the election in favour of the PML-Q, but much was blocked because of the tremendous pressure against it. “Had the election been completely transparent, the PML-Q would not have been able to even get 40 seats,” he added.