KARACHI, Dec 23: In an interesting development which may have a bearing on pre-election alignments among major political forces in the country, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Karachi chapter, and Pakistan People’s Party on Sunday reached a seat-adjustment accord for two Karachi seats of the National Assembly and one of the provincial assembly.

The accord was announced by PML-N leader Sardar Rahim at the end of a press conference addressed by Nawaz Sharif after his arrival in the city.

Mr Rahim said PML-N candidate Saleem Zia for NA-250 and PS-113 would stand retired from NA-250 in favour of Dr Ikhtiar Baig of the PPP, and he would contest the election only for PS-113.

He said the PPP had announced the retirement of its candidate Zulfiqar Qaimkhani from PS-113 constituency and pledged to extend full support to Mr Salim Zia for the provincial assembly seat.

Mr Rahim also announced the retirement of PML-N candidate for NA-248 Shaikh Maqsood in favour of PPP’s Nabil Ahmed Gabol.

At his Press conference, Mr Sharif said that his party did not approve of acts of terrorism unleashed either by militants or by a military dictator by suspending the Constitution, imposing emergency and sacking judges who had refused to obey his dictates.

He said that terrorism and extremism had flourished only during dictatorships when the people were not taken into confidence in formulation of country’s policies and an individual had become the sole arbiter of the destiny of the nation.

The PML leader was evasive when asked if his government would support the US-led ‘global war on terror’.

“First of all we have to define what is terrorism? Is there really any war on terror? Whether we have to follow only US dictates. After all we have to keep our self-respect. We have got to understand what is in our interest and what is not?”, the PML-N leader said.

“We are against all sorts of terrorism. The one that is carried out through bomb blasts and the other that was perpetrated by Gen Musharraf by abrogating the Constitution, imposing the PCO, sacking the judiciary and putting majority of judges behind bars.

“We stand for making all these acts accountable,” he said.

Mr Sharif said that the only way to save the country and its integrity was to protect all the institutions and end the role of army in politics and this was possible only if there is an independent judiciary because only an independent judiciary would resolve problems faced by the country and the people.

“Restoration of all judges to the pre-Nov 3 position is as essential as the existence of the country and if we ignored this, the country’s existence will be at stake, because when institutions are broken, the country splits as it did after the East Pakistan crisis,” the PML-N chief said.