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The Pakistan Day meeting between PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has led to amiable photo-ops and assurances of mutual respect. But any talk of reconciliation remains tentative, as Sharif has slapped down several conditions. He has demanded the implementation of the Charter of Democracy, details of which can be found here. Although the PPP has expressed its commitment to the charter, the party has stopped short of stating that all its provisions will be implemented in letter and spirit. Other stumbling blocks – the government in Punjab and the electoral eligibility of the Sharifs – also continue to stand in the way of a PPP-PML-N reconciliation.
Do you think the PPP and PML-N can sort through these sticking points and work together? Is Sharif correct in making his interactions with the PPP dependent on the implementation of the Charter of Democracy? What happens if the Supreme Court fails to overturn the Sharifs’ disqualification ruling?
PPP and PML-N, both aren’t in the condition to work together as both have different perspectives to run the show. Charter of Democracy should be implemented as signed by both the parties. There is no point to talking about what Supreme Court will decide; in fact PML-N has the choice to decide instead of Supreme Court furthermore people of Pakistan have disagreed to Supreme Court decision as we all have seen in our TV.
I would like to appreciate Media because media has played the vital role of judicial crisis and given us (Pakistani) hope for survival. Judicial crisis chapter has closed but Media crises issue is still pending for this; I would like to request PPP to give them an opportunity as they have given to deposed judges.
For them to make amends will require maturity. These political parties(PPP & PML-N) have been raised in an environment of political confrontation and therefore it seems that they don’t possess the wisdom to avoid selfish political gains. I pity the people of this nation for still having hopes and expectations. I can say with assurance that even if they agree on some level it will only be short lived.
Some one should be optimistic but also realistic, I dont’ think that this reconciliation is possible. Because President Zardari is controlling the PPP like Musharraf was driving PML(Q). Moreover the PPP workers are not courageous and audacious to raise their voice to abolish 17th amendment.
With 17th amendment in place I think this 2nd honeymoon will also end very soon.
The title of this section is misleading – it puts PPP and PMLN in the same league. “Amends” means that you did someting wrong. The fact is that on the key issue on which the two parties fell apart, namely the restoration of the judges, PPP was wrong and PMLN was right. There is definitely room for both parties to mature, most notably in introducing inner party democracy as is practiced in the US for example or in UK. But for now, PMLN is ahead.
It is hypocritical to say that what Pakistanis need is roti kapra and not justice. It is hypocritical because it implies that the two are mutually exclusive when in fact the opposite is true – you cant have rot/kapra if you dont have justice.
PPP and PML(N)can not mend their fences, rather they are not made for each other. But they are here to create confusion to hoodwink the nation from the events unfolding
in FATA AND BALUCHISTAN, because they have no intention of serving the nation but their masters who pay them.
I think that implementation of CoD can make a difference if (A BIG IF) implemented in letter and spirit. However the demands of Mian Nawaz Sharif is not because he has somehow become humble and a true poor loving leader but like Sufi Mohammed/Mulla Fazlullah, just keep pressing on next demand once the previous is accepted by the government to gain more political ground and ultimately grab power.
By the way the Q&A session with Pervez Musharraf conducted by India today reminded many of us that the General may be out of power and media but still has the guts and the grit to handle challenging situations and hostile audience in awesome confidence. Even the host of the show had to admit that he has seen very few who could face such a hostile audience.
The whole nation suffers from amnesia. Haven’t we tested Nawaz before? Don’t we know what sort of a leader he is? He is willing to work with the PPP for the time bieng, but as soon as it comes on dividing the loot, the thieves are gonna be at each others throats.
Independent Judiciary? Who are we fooling? Ourselves?
Well! To be very honest both parties are not sincere with this land. It is very unfortunate for us that we forget our past so quickly and our so called independent media is not playing expected role to show their true pictures, what they had done during their tenure. Nawaz and Zardari are among the top richest persons of this country. How they reached at this level? Nawaz has no respect of judiciary. One can recall what his party has done with Supreme Court in his tenure. Whatsoever he has done, it is just to take revenge from Musharraf and make himself and his brother legible for the assembly again and have the Punjab Govt restored. Allah may help this nation. To be very honest, I see partitions of this land in near future. Just like Bangladesh.
PPP and PML will never make amends jointly. The back stabbings, betrayals have gone on for years.
Benazir once said that Pakistan has only 2 parties: the PPP and Army, this is the mind set. In what way Nawaz is better, he is no way lesser evil, he also manipulated courts and institutions. The people have short memories and Now Nawaz has an upper hand and I think it will be short lived.
Pakistan will flourish under a visionary leader who carries NO BAGGAGE. Sooner he emerges the best for South Asia
The answer lies in history.
When Z A Bhutto appointed Khan Abdul Qayum Khan Governor it was obvious that he was not willing to let the NAP rule in the NWFP.
The appointment of Salman Taseer by Zardari clearly signalled his intentions. It was just a matter of time.
If Zardari thinks he can get away with it he will form a Government in the Punjab with PML-Q and keep the powers under Article 58(2)(b). If he misjudges the will of the people again, it will be his end and the end of the PPP and its long history of unfulfilled promises.
Pakistanis should not be fooled either by PPP or PML again. Imran Khan is the best bet. No one other than the founding fathers have done so much. World Cup, Cancer Hospitals, College, University. He is a true patriot. We should all vote for him.
As far as COD is concerned i will say…this nation never agreed and acted one religion, they never implemented British form of democracy but rather took some pieces of Kingdom and democracy… mix it up with dictatorship and there you can see the current setup which neither look democratic, nor dictatorship but inclined more towards Kingdom where one man is holding all the power… here Mr. Zardari is the lord…Parliament, prime minister and cabinet is it’s servant and people of Pakistan doesn’t come to the picture at all…
It’s a joke that these people can meet thousands times a day and will discuss all power sharing formulas but will never discuss how to eradicate poverty, terrorism, loadshedding crisis etc…
Give 160 Million largely illiterate people who have been brought up to have “NO CRITICAL THINKING” right to vote and you will get Pakistani democracy.
Too much work needs to be done before Pakistan can enjoy democracy. Current charters are only there to serve those who know how to fool most of the people most of the time
Dear Sir,
Are we talking about the Mr. Nawaz Sharif who was saying 3 weeks earlier that President Zardari is his enemy now, are we talking of Mr, Shahbaz Shariaf who said that weeks ago quoted” Zardari we don’t believe you now whatever you do.” And Mr. Nawaz said “Musharaff soul was transferred into President Zardari”………
May i ask Dawn news and other media,are we the people so ignorant that we can believe in what ever politicians are saying. PPP and PML(N) is like India & Pakistan which can never exist together… PML(N) can’t control there tongue and PPP can’t control there advisors….in the end it’s the people of Pakistan who are suffering at the hands Taliban, Politicians, Poverty, Unemployment, Loadshedding, Electronic Media channels like GEO TV & AAJ TV, Frustration, Internal threat, external threat, SWAT, FATA and so many more….I have to salute this nation who was clapping and distributing sweets to each other when Nawaz govt. was toppled by Musharraf and now they are again playing in the hands of GEO and Nawaz partnership…good luck…as far as Dawn TV is concerned i have to say that you people are the best in all……you are keeping the rich traditions of dawn newspaper alive in TV also….
Lawyers and so called Democratic forces in Pakistan had been dancing in streets for reinstatement of someone who was responsible for the legal cover for everything wrong Musharraf did. However the most serious threat to democracy in the form of Sufi Mohammad’s courts in Swat is in nobody’s radar. What kind of justice system we will have when there is no professional legal defense is provided to a defendant in a criminal or a civil case. Why Pakistan Supreme court and its firebrand Aitezaz Ahsan and Kurd and Munir Malik are silent on this. How Pakistan’s constitution allow this kind of court where fundamental rights of common people are compromised?
Thank God, the President of Pakistan had his sanity prevailed in the tough time he was facing. He did not sent policemen to evict the Chief Justice of Supreme court as Nawaz Shareef and lawyers were wanting. This would have created a dangerous precedence and destroyed the already fractured institution of Judiciary in Pakistan. Would Nawaz Shareef and others in future not throw out another Chief Justice if they did not like a verdict?
If Justice Dogar was an illegal and unconstitutional Judge than Iftikhar Chaudhry is also unconstitutional and illegal as the very oath that made him a Judge at superior court was illegal. The verdicts he passed to uphold Musharraf’s martial law was illegal and unconstitutional.
I hope these matters that are very complex in nature are discussed and debated thoroughly in parliament and no non political and non serious actors (like Imran khan) should be allowed to force the elected will of people. Only elected parliament represent people in any democratic country. Mob and demonstration can make a point but should not be allowed public decision making. Otherwise why go through election process, just decide everything on streets. Is that what we want going forward than what was wrong with real muscle men in uniform?
I think PML(N) is a bully and the PPP a gentler party. The Bully will keep pushing conditions and the gentler party will keep granting them till they are pushed out of the camp. And its not necessary that the bully occupy it.
Jang news paper reports follows, so the mentality of leaders is clear as regards sincerity for the country and its people. since 1947, the nation has been unlucky in terms of leadership. The good ones die in short time (Jinnah, Liaquat, etc), the bad ones (???) plunder the nation or let friends plunder in all respects – economically, educationally, socially, culturally, religiously, morally, etc p- making the nation an internationally useless lot. May Allah have pity – ameen.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
“ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has quietly summoned Pakistan ambassador to Washington Husain Haqqani and taken him to Dubai to be part of a special meeting with US special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke in an effort to regain credibility after the lawyers’ long march and eventual restoration of the judges.
Sources said Zardari was concerned that Washington, especially Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was paying more attention to Nawaz Sharif. The president was also alarmed by the positive reaction in Washington where the restoration of the deposed judges and CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was instantly welcomed, erasing the impression that the US was somehow against the chief justice.
Haqqani and Zardari will try to convince the Americans not to lose their confidence in the abilities of President Zardari who was still capable of delivering the agenda, according to the expectations of the Americans.”
Mr. Nawaz Sharif has the support of the masses. It was his courage that PPP has accepted to restore the judges. It will be better in the interest of the country that both PPP and PML-N cooperate with each other. But it seems difficult. If Mr. Nawaz Sharif showed any leniency, he will surely be losing the support of the people. Mr. Nawaz Sharif should also consider about the people for whom the basic necessities are becoming difficult day-by-day.
It would be an ideal situation if these two parties could get along. But, I think this is almost impossible. These both parties claim that they have learned from their past mistakes, at least PPP is clearly showing that it has learned nothing from past.
It might take both parties another 10 years to be more democratic. I can only hope that it would not be too late by then. PPP and PML(N) also should remember that when they are in power they should not forget that they are not going to be in power for ever.
It is sickening to see the same families again and again. May be that’s the main problem, both parties should come out of this family oriented politics. Hopefully independent media will be able to make people better decide who is who. And in next election people will vote for those who are best for country. I hope that’s how our politicians will start thinking, that people will only vote for those people who are best for country.
In the end, it will be democracy’s loss if these two parties don’t get along.
“Trust” can’t be regained once it’s gone. Nawaz Sharif will not trust Zardari but he will compromise since he is not in the driver’s seat. It takes days, weeks, months and sometimes years to build a “trust” and it takes seconds to blow it away. Zardari can not be trusted neither by Nawaz Sharif nor by Pakistani people. Zardari is “selected” President, not elected by Pakistani people. Zardari needs a vote of “confidence” from Pakistani people if he still wants to be called Pakistani “president”. I think Pakistan seriously need honest, courageous and brave leaders not the current lot. God Bless Pakistan.
i think PML N and PPP should work on their differences in the interest of the country and people of pakistan, but some leadership from PPP are plying same old dirty politics specially mr. Zardari and Mr. Taseer. I think people of pakistan should get rid of politician like Zardari and Taseer, but I salute PM Gilani and Ms Sherry Rehman.
What a tragedy that at the time of our direst need, we happen to have the worst leaders since 1971. Those who thought Mr Zardari has changed, got their rude awakening. As for the Mians of Raiwind, we know how much they loved an independent judiciary when Nawaz was in power. As for Justice Chaudhry, we will soon know if this PCO judge was fighting for anything more than his own job.
Both parties have tortured Judiciary. whenever it is in their interest they have made a mockery of democracy. Therefore I do not hope that any system with the current leadership will ever work in Pakistan
@Miss M Siddiqui:
The only free and fair election were held in 1970. If you think these elections were fair, you only need to look at the election results of Gen Abdul Qadir, fmr Governor Balochistan, who lost through open rigging. Gen PM is responsible for all the terrorism that is spreading its dangerous tentacles to other parts of the country too .Needless to say, this is but an extension of the previous one.
Now about PPP and PMLN. Zaradari is a vindictive manipulator who will stop at nothing to grab and prolong his power just like his inspiration, Gen Musharraf and yes he is waiting for the right moment to strike back at the Sharif bros.