Pakistan

No support for violation of Charter of Democracy: Awan

Babar Awan says his party does not need horse trading to prove its majority nor will it do so.

Express February 24, 2011

Federal Law Minister Babar Awan on Wednesday said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will not support violation of the Charter of Democracy and further rejected the option of holding mid-term or short-term elections.

Addressing the oath taking ceremony of the elected body of Supreme Court Press Association, Awan said his party does not need horse trading to prove its majority nor will it do so.

He said the party will not leave the government before completing its tenure.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, on the same day, said he does not believe in giving deadlines in politics.

Talking to media outside the Parliament House, Malik said deadlines are given in school exams not in politics.

He said that the federal cabinet approved the 10-Point agenda given by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) because the government and the PML-N share many of the same goals.

The minister added that national unity and consensus is must in dealing with current problems in the country.

COMMENTS (2)

Nouman Arshad | 13 years ago | Reply When the Charter of Democracy (CoD) was signed between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif back in 2006, both parties decided to adopt a policy of reconciliation. The PPP and the PML-N played a game of musical chairs from 1988-99. We witnessed four governments during these 11 years — two terms for the PPP and two for the PML-N. Both parties were not able to complete their five-year term even once. In the end, the military got rid of Mr Nawaz Sharif’s last government by toppling it. That was the end of a democratic era in Pakistan for nine long years. When the PPP formed a coalition government after the 2008 elections, it adopted a policy of reconciliation in the same vein as had been envisioned by the party’s late leader, Ms Bhutto. Prime Minister Gilani was unanimously voted to lead the government. The PML-N initially joined the federal government apart from forming a coalition government in Punjab with the PPP. Both coalitions came to an end; the PML-N left the coalition at the Centre quite early but ousted the PPP from the Punjab government only recently. The deviation from Charter of Democracy could put democracy in hot waters once again. Decision to quit coalition might help out Mian Sahib to save his skin but for the future politics it will leave ever lasting impacts. Eggs on my face but I am sure the atmosphere that PPP created for the nourishment of nascent democracy, could be the only chance for all the political parties to learn lesson from their tainted past.

KM | 13 years ago | Reply Mr. Awan, Please answer the following: What was Later Tasser doing, when he had put in the governer rule in Punjab? What did PPP do in Baluchistan to form its government? Why did you go and meet Pervez Elahi, when MQM parted ways with you and PML N gave you the last ultimatum. In a nutshell, all of you have defamed the word "politics", and have made it a license by virtue of which you can openly lie in front of the cameras and go scott free.

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