Committee to examine PPP package
The decision was taken at a three-hour meeting between PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif here on Tuesday.
Mr Zardari was assisted by Finance Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Law Minister Farooq Naek and Information Minister Sherry Rehman and Mr Sharif was accompanied by Khwaja Mohammad Asif and Ishaq Dar.
According to PPP spokesman Farhatullah Khan Babar, the committee will discuss the draft of the package and the amendment bill will be placed before parliament after the passage of the budget by the end of the current month.
Sources told Dawn that although the two parties had agreed on most of the points of the draft, they were poles apart on the issue of reinstatement of the judges.
Mr Babar claimed that the two sides had discussed issues relating to the budget and the political situation in the country, but the sources said that most of the discussion revolved round the issue of reinstatement of the judges.
The PML-N wants reinstatement of the judges in accordance with the Murree Declaration through a National Assembly resolution and an executive order of the prime minister. But the PPP has linked the reinstatement to a constitution amendment bill that would not only empower parliament but also reform the judicial system.
The lawyers have rejected the package which also contains clauses under which the tenure of the chief justice will be fixed at five years.
The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and Supreme Court Bar Association have given a call for a long march on the federal capital on June 10 and the PML-N has announced its full support to their movement.
Law Minister Naek handed over copies of the draft of the constitution amendment package to all coalition partners on Saturday and Sunday and sought their recommendations.
Meanwhile, a committee formed by the PML-N to review the draft held its first meeting here on Tuesday. PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq heads the committee comprising Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Ahsan Iqbal, Khwaja Asif and Khwaja Haris.
Mr Haq told reporters after the meeting that the PML-N was firm on its stand that the judges should be reinstated through a resolution and there was no need for a constitutional amendment for the purpose. He said the two parties had common viewpoints on most other proposals.
He said the committee would finalise its recommendations in a few days.
According to a handout issued by the PPP media office, Mr Zardari congratulated Shahbaz Sharif on his election to the Punjab assembly as the prospective chief minister of the province. He assured Mr Sharif that the PPP would support him as the chief minister and strengthen the coalition government in Punjab.