Source: Bloomberg
By Khalid Qayum and Paul Tighe

Nawaz Sharif meets with leaders of his Pakistan Muslim League party today to decide whether to quit the ruling coalition because the Pakistan Peoples Party is ignoring its partners in the alliance.

“There is no need for the party to be part of the coalition government, if one party is taking decisions unilaterally,” Siddiq-ul-Farooq, a spokesman for the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz, said in Islamabad late yesterday. Party leaders will meet with Sharif today in Lahore, he said.

The PPP has failed to meet its pledge to restore judges fired last year by former president Pervez Musharraf and didn’t consult its partners before nominating its leader, Asif Ali Zardari, last week to be the new head of state, Farooq said.

Differences between Zardari and Sharif have stalled the work of Pakistan’s government for six months as it tries to tackle a slowing economy, faster inflation and increased terrorist violence. The forced resignation of Musharraf on Aug. 18 failed to close the gap between the PPP and the PML-N, the second-largest party in the four-member coalition.

The PPP wants to keep the ruling coalition united, the official Associated Press of Pakistan cited Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi as saying in the city of Multan yesterday.

“We want to keep our ally along with us,” Qureshi said. “We signed the charter of democracy and struggled for supremacy of the constitution and democracy” with the PML-N.

President’s Post

Zardari, 52, the widower of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, formally accepted the PPP’s nomination, party spokesman Raza Rabbani said in Islamabad on Aug. 23.

Sharif, 59, who was ousted as prime minister by Musharraf in a 1999 military coup, has threatened to withdraw his party from the coalition if it doesn’t replace Musharraf-appointed judges with the ones the former president fired.

Zardari wants to keep the Musharraf judges, who backed legislation withdrawing corruption charges against him and his wife, while also reinstating the fired ones. Zardari denies the corruption accusations.

Restoring former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has been the biggest obstacle to an agreement because he questioned the legality of a 2007 decree that protected Zardari.

The two parties pledged to reinstate the judges in a March 9 accord that formed the basis for the coalition. In an Aug. 7 agreement, the ruling alliance agreed the justices would be restored soon after the impeachment or resignation of Musharraf.

Parliamentary Debate

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, a member of the PPP, said yesterday his government will restore the judges without saying when this will be carried out. The coalition plans to present a resolution to parliament today for a debate on the issue.

Sharif said two days ago his party may quit the alliance if the 60 fired judges aren’t reinstated by today. The PML-N will support Zardari for president if the justices are returned to their posts, he said at the time.

Stalling by Zardari over the issue prompted Sharif to withdraw his ministers from the Cabinet in May. Sharif remained in the alliance.

There will be a “pleasant surprise” in the matter of the judges, Qureshi said yesterday, according to APP. The government will meet the expectations of the people, he added without giving any details.

The PPP considers an independent judiciary is “imperative for democracy,” Qureshi said.

“Governments come and go,” he said. “Sometimes you are in government and sometimes in opposition. We believe that an independent judiciary is a must for the rule of law and the establishment of a civilized society.”

Musharraf, 65, resigned to avoid facing impeachment for heading the 1999 coup and violating the constitution by firing the judges in November.

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Tags: Coalition, Leaders, nawaz sharif, Pakistan Muslim League party, Quit