ISLAMABAD, Sept 3: Just three days before it is sure to capture the presidency, the ruling coalition on Wednesday won wide parliamentary support against perceived threats to the democratic process, as an outburst by the opposition leader in the Senate against the chair boomeranged on him.

The most important declaration of support for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led government came from its estranged ally Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) after leader of the house Raza Rabbani reaffirmed his party’s commitment to implement their joint Charter of Democracy for a full restoration of democracy and said the government had no hand in a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) move to reactivate corruption charges against PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and his family members.

Assurances of support for the democratic process were also given by Senators from other opposition groups, including some from the formerly ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) most of whose members did not join the walkout by their party’s opposition leader Kamil Ali Agha after a row with acting chairman Jan Mohammad Jamali.

PML-N parliamentary leader Ishaq Dar said his party would not allow a destabilisation of the democratic process despite its withdrawal from the ruling coalition last month because of differences over the promised reinstatement of deposed judges and the presidential election as he recalled a joint struggle with the PPP against former president Pervez Musharraf’s dictatorship.

“We will fight shoulder to shoulder if anyone tries to launch a shabkhhoon (putsch) (against democracy),” he said, while referring to speculation in some newspaper reports revolving around the Sept 6 presidential election.

Both parties have put up rival candidates for the election by a 702-vote but 1,170-member parliamentary electoral college, but PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, whose candidature seemed to get a godsend boost from what happened in the 100-seat opposition-dominated Senate, is likely to win by what most estimates put at more than 420 votes in view of the coalition majorities in the 342-seat National Assembly and in three of the four provincial assemblies.

In an apparent move to keep members present in Islamabad for Saturday’s vote, the National Assembly was on Wednesday suddenly called to meet at 11am on Thursday for a new session only a week after being prorogued.

Mr Rabbani said Tuesday’s request by the NAB prosecutor-general to a special court in Rawalpindi for an early hearing of three corruption cases against the PML-N leader, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and some other family members, after an accountability court had adjourned the cases indefinitely last month, appeared to be “part of a conspiracy by those who do not want understanding between the country’s two largest political parties”.

But he said Law Minister Farooq H. Naek had taken notice of the move and summoned the NAB chief for a meeting to explain the matter.

All of the more than 20 Senators who spoke in what turned out to be a long debate that put aside the day’s question hour, either regretted or strongly condemned opposition leader Kamil Ali Agha’s denunciation of Mr Jamali’s recent meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani with a delegation of other party senators and most of them said their parties wanted the democratic process to succeed.

Only three of the PML-Q Senators joined Mr Agha in the walkout -– the majority stayed in the house -– after Mr Jamali snubbed him for his remarks and a threat that party could take action against him under anti-defection law and the four did not return as nobody went out to bring them back.

Mr Agha’s move seemed to put his position as opposition leader at risk as some senators said he did not deserve to hold that office, which Jamaat-i-Islami’s Abdul Malik said must now go to the All Parties Democratic Movement that includes his party and some Balochistan-based parties having representation in the Senate.

Some of them called for an apology by Mr Agha for his objectionably remarks against the chair, which Mr Jamali later ordered to be expunged from the record of the proceedings as demanded by several speakers.