Swiss letter: Coalition partners to accompany PM Ashraf to SC

PM Raja Pervez Ashraf to appear before SC on September 18.

ISLAMABAD: Ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and their coalition partners threw their weight behind Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf ahead of his appearance before the Supreme Court on Tuesday September 18.

Express News correspondent Waqar Satti reported that the meeting at the Aiwan-e-Sadr discussed the National Reconciliation Ordinance and the matter of writing the letter to Swiss courts, for which the Prime Minister will appear in the Supreme Court on September 18.

Satti said that according to sources, the coalition partners and the ruling party have agreed to present their stance in a forceful manner before the apex court during the hearing.

Quoting a press release, Satti said that in a show of solidarity, all coalition partners will accompany the Prime Minister as he appears before the court for the hearing.

Sources, Satti said, told him that during the meeting President Zardari reiterated that the government and its coalition partners have sacrificed for the judiciary and have always respected the courts, and they will continue in the same vein.

The meeting of ruling coalition parties was held with President Asif Ali Zardari in the chair. Prime Minister and heads of allied parties attended the meeting.

Earlier‚ Ashraf called on President Zardari and discussed important issues.

The meeting was attended among others by Deputy Prime Minister, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Basharat Raja of PML(Q), Asfandyar Wali Khan, Senator Afrasiab Khattak of ANP, Dr Farooq Sattar, Senator Babar Khan Ghouri of MQM, Senator Mir Israrullah Khan Zehri of BNP, Hameedullah Jan Afridi, Munir Khan Orakzai and Senator Abbas Khan Afridi of FATA.

Former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Law Minister, Senator Farook H. Naek, Minister for Water and Power, Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Ms. Mehreen Anwar Raja and Senator Farhatullah Babar were also present during the meeting.