President, legal team mull reply to Supreme Court

Though the president’s return has taken a lot of pressure off PM Gilani, PPP members feel the worst is not over yet.

ISLAMABAD:

In order to dispel the impression that there is clash between the government and the judiciary, the president is consulting his legal team regarding his reply to the Supreme Court’s notice in the Memogate case.

Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Monday that discussions on the matter were under way and the outcome would be announced.

Bilawal House has come to life after an extended nervous lull, and a number of meetings were held by the president on Monday.  According to the president’s spokesperson, Farhatullah Babar, Zardari would come to Islamabad within a few days and will resume his charge at the Presidency.

A sitting minister said that President Asif Ali Zardari’s return should have made it clear that he isn’t afraid of facing challenges confronting him.

Though the president’s return has taken a lot of pressure off the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, particularly Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, party members feel that the worst is not over for the government.

Most PPP members give credit to Prime Minister Gilani for handling the situation tactfully despite the fact that he was burdened with the responsibilities of the state as well as the presidency.

PPP parliamentarians, who spoke to The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity, said that the prime minister was the key player in the absence of President Zardari – and even met with the army chief in an attempt to lower tensions.

A member of the PPP central executive committee said that party members trusted Prime Minister Gilani and his strategy of reconciliation. They said that members were assured during the PPP’s parliamentary party meeting that the situation will normalise soon – an indication that things were, after all, not normal at all, despite the premier’s assertions to the contrary.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2011.