February 27, 2008	Wednesday	Safar 19, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: Pakis-tan People’s Party’s spokesperson Farhatullah Babar has issued the following statement: A section of the press on Tuesday has, quoting Asif Ali Zardari’s interview to a US newspaper, said that the PPP is seeking a working relationship with Pervez Musharraf.

The attribution of these remarks to Asif Ali Zardari is not correct.

The PPP co-chairman had merely stated in the interview that opposition parties did not have the requisite constitutional majority in parliament to remove the president. At no stage did he say that the PPP was seeking to work with Musharraf.

There is a huge difference between the admission of a ground reality (namely the absence of parliamentary majority to remove the president) and an explicit desire to seek working relationship with the president.

The PPP position on the issue is clear. The party will accord priority to strengthen parliament by removing the changes made in the Constitution through an executive order that have tilted the balance against the elected parliament.

A strengthened parliament, representing the will of the people, will then make its own sovereign decisions on the nature of working with the presidency.