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| PML-N hopeful of 17th amendment’s unanimous repeal
G.N. Mughul |
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| KARACHI: Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and Justice (rtd) Syed Ghous Ali Shah, Secretary General of PML(N) and President, PML(N) Sindh, have expressed the hope that 18th constitutional amendment would be passed unanimously by the Parliament in the light of constitutional amendment bills presented in the Assembly by PML(N), PP, PML(Q) and MQM.
They hoped that the legislators of all these parties would sit together and a unanimous draft would be approved for being passed by the parliament.
However, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Secretrary General PML(N) while replying indirectly a question asked as to whether the provincial autonomy issue would also be addressed and resolved through the said amendment or not, said that for the time being 18th amendment would be confined to only the positions taken in Charter of Democracy (COD) signed by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif.
About the negotiations currently going on between PML(N) and PML(Q), Jhagra said that PML(N) chief Nawaz Sharif has declared that to steer the country from the present crisis, his party was prepared to cooperate with all parties, including PML(Q) on the national issues like national security.
However, he said, desirable results have not been attained out of the negotiations held to this effect so far and it was not in his knowledge as to whether any progress to this effect has been made or not.
He said, personally Nawaz Sharif was prepared to condone if any one even abused him. But, he said, stand on principles would be taken for those who played role in damaging democracy.
He said, in this context PML(Q) cannot be called as a political party as it had been part of establishment. As such, he said, PML(N) was prepared to hold negotiations with genuine political parties. When his attention was drawn towards a statement of MQM Chief Altaf Hussain of having opened doors for dialogue for all political parties, including PML(N), Iqbal Zafar Jhagra repeated the same reply by saying that PML(N) was prepared to hold dialogue with all genuine political parties.
On ARD, the Secretary General PML(N) said that ARD has completed its mission as not only that democracy has been restored but even the Parliament has been completed as such did not exist any more. However, he hinted of having a new alliance aimed at strengthening democracy in the country. In this regard, he said negotiations with all genuine political parties could be held.
As for former President Pervaiz Musharraf, he condemned the act of giving protocols to him and allowing him to go abroad.
A reporter asked that there was an impression that PML(N) was demanding restoration of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry because of his judgment in NRO case and his judgment in favour of Nawaz Sharif. Jhagra dismissed this impression and said that PML(N) was demanding restoration of judiciary not Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in person.
Earlier, Iqbal Jhagra as well as Syed Ghous Ali Shah paid tributes to the Parliamentarians for passing a unanimous 14-point resolution on the issue of war of terror. They demanded that its implementation should not be delayed.
PML(N) Sindh President regretted that various forces, some identified as establishment and sometimes as the agencies, did not allow successful functioning of democratic system in the country. As against that, he said, democracy was allowed to function successfully in India.
He, however castigated India for issuing threats to Pakistan and being engaged in blame game against this country on one pretext or the other.
He cautioned that Pakistan was not an old Pakistan now but a nuclear Pakistan. He said it was in the interest of both the countries to live in peace with each other. |
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