A file photo of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: ISRARUL HAQ/EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
All hopes of reaching a likely breakthrough between the government and the country’s largest opposition party with regards to a caretaker setup faded after Nawaz Sharif politely “turned down” the president’s request to hold a one-on-one meeting at Raiwind.
Sources in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) revealed that the party chief has politely turned down the request after President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his desire to visit Sharif’s Raiwind residence during his stay in Lahore.
“We have respectfully turned down the request for a meeting between President Zardari and Nawaz Sharif,” sources in the PML-N told The Express Tribune on Sunday.
“It has been respectfully conveyed that Sharif cannot meet President Zardari,” they said.
However, President’s spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar stated that no meeting between President Zardari and Nawaz Sharif was planned or scheduled. “Therefore the question of cancellation does not arise.”
According to media reports, the president wanted to offer his condolences to the PML-N chief over the death of his brother, Abbas Sharif.
Currently, President Zardari is staying at his newly-built Bilawal House in Lahore and is to oversee the party position ahead of the coming general elections.
Though Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Law Minister Farooq H Naek and some leaders of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) called on President Zardari in Lahore, President’s spokesperson dispelled media reports of any political activity on part of the president.
The clarification from the spokesperson possibly came in the backdrop of a written assurance given by President Zardari in the dual office case that he would quit political activities at the Presidency.
The meeting, which has now been cancelled due to a possible trust deficit between the two parties, was being viewed by observers as a major breakthrough to the procedural deadlock in appointing a caretaker setup.
Sources in the PML-N revealed that the PML-N chief would start an internal consultation process from today (Monday) that is likely to last for a week with meetings scheduled on a daily basis.
Though both the government and opposition have not yet engaged in a consultation process as per the Constitution, both have held several informal rounds over the issue with the opposition demanding a role in appointment of all the caretakers — federal and provincial.
A senior PML-N leader said that his party would engage in negotiations with the government after taking other parties in the opposition into confidence over the caretaker prime minister and more.
Responding to a question, he said that the chances of a final decision over the caretaker names by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) were limited. “We want consultation but not merely on the appointment of the caretaker prime minister,” he added.
According to the scheme devised by the Constitution for appointment of the caretaker government, the leader of opposition in the National Assembly and the premier will nominate a caretaker setup through the process of consultation. If they fail to reach an agreement, Article 224A will be invoked which says: “In case the prime minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing National Assembly do not agree on any person to be appointed as the caretaker prime minister within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly, they shall forward two nominees each to a committee to be immediately constituted by the speaker of the National Assembly, comprising eight members of the outgoing National Assembly, or the Senate, or both, having equal representation from the treasury and the opposition, to be nominated by the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, respectively”.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2013.
COMMENTS (14)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Nawaz Sharif is the only visionary leader in Pakistan showing maturity. He has learnt a lot during all these 13 years of Dictatorship and Coalition junta!
When HATE politics will be finished in Pakistan Every Political party accuse other party, use very bad language The Elections are coming, every Political Party should joint hands of other Political Party, to hold the Election at time, and every party should accept the result and greet the wining party. As happen in other countries. But in Pakistan, it looks like a dream
Make sure you follow the correct constitutional procedure this time, lads ;)
PPP has performed very poorly in past five years and this has risen chances of NS party wining next election and form a government in center.NS speculative performance in next tenure will further lower the graph of ppp.This is a most possible scenario and nightmare for ppp pundits.In worst come scenario,not any other but ppp itself can axe the very branch (democracy) it is siting on.One way is postponement of election or creating problems over care taker set up.PPP knows the outcomes of such tactics but it will be ready to accept dictator than NS to do irreparable damage to ppp with his performance.PPP has masterd itself to earn from its misdeeds.
I think PML N just cannot get over being taken for a ride by AZ, especially now with elections so near.
Elections will not happen until US securely exits Afghanistan through Pakistan. Elections can be held after April 2014.
Forget elections until America securely leaves Afghanistan through Pakistan. Elections will be after march 2014.
PPP and PML N were never friends, NS unagrassive opposition or some termed it as friendly opposition is to avoid another period of dictatorship. He has sucessfully done that and in coming elections its not PML N v/s any other party but its PML N v/s establishment. I hope NS has learned from his mistakes and he is well aware of his educated and popular rival called PTI. That's why I give credit for the development in Punjab to PTI as well. Beside all the factors NS has a good and experienced team which can deliver and bring Pakistan back on the track.
all my PTI friends, tell me single method to topple the government that nawaz sharif could have employed and which doesnt involves army? wht PTI is demanding from NS is something he is done with when IK was playing cricket.
All DRAMA!!!
Is it a feeler spread by the concerned quarters to test the temperature of the market? Politics as a profession has developed into matured market where all the professional play their role. It appears to a media buzz spread by one of the leading political parties and responded by the other. The popular parties outside the parliament will now make out your own counter strategy as something is cooking.
The game is on; who cares for the people.
A Peshawary
Why meet someone who has broken promise. As President Bush once said: "Fool me once,shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me"
Just theatrics so that PMLN shows up as the real opposition, which it never was.
In public they are rivals so they have keep intact this myth.