Islamabad, May 20 (ANI): The PPP-led coalition government in Islamabad sans the PML-N, which walked out last Monday, will be able to sail through and get the constitutional package as the 18th Amendment passed in the Parliament, only with the crucial support of the erstwhile ruling party the PML-Q, having its affiliation to President Pervez Musharraf.
The PML-Q's positive collective vote for the new constitutional amendment would come on a nod from Musharraf, who seems inclined to isolate the PML-N and create further divisions in the already cracked ruling coalition, said an article in The News.
The PPP would not be short of the dreamy figure of a two-thirds majority in both the houses of parliament if the PML-Q stands with it in approving the constitutional package.
On the other hand, the PML-N does not seem to be privy to the consultations the PPP was having with other parties to muster 2/3 majority to get the Amendment Bill passed.
"We haven't been consulted about any constitutional package. Now it is for the PPP to come out with universally acceptable restoration of the judges to be followed by a consensus constitutional package," the paper quoted PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal as saying.
PML-N Secretary-General Zafar Iqbal Jhagra said "Our consultations with the PPP on the restoration of the deposed justices ended when we withdrew our ministers from the federal cabinet. We have held no talks with them since then."
Another PML-N leader said: "At the moment, the tension is high between the PPP and the PML-N. I think any constitutional package before the reinstatement of the sacked judges would be meant to distract the people's attention from the real issue of the dismissed justices."
In the 342-member National Assembly, the PPP has 120 seats and its allies the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has 26 MPs, the ANP (13) and the JUI-F (6) apart from the support from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and smaller factions like the Functional League and some Balochistan parties.
This means that barring the PML-N's 90 MPs, almost all the remaining 251 MPs, including the PML-Q's 50 members in the National Assembly cluster will stand with the PPP; otherwise, the PPP would not think of sponsoring the 18th Amendment. The big if, however, is a direction from President Musharraf to his ally - the PML-Q - to vote for the amendment.
At least 228 votes constitute the two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.
In the Upper House the Senate, the JUI-F has a huge tally of 17, while the Jamaat-e-Islami being component of now almost defunct Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), has a couple of members. The PML-Q has the most important and biggest bloc of 36 Senators, whose support would decide the fate of the constitutional package. Its Forward Bloc has already announced to back the official moves to restore the deposed judges and to amend the Constitution. In the upper house, at least 37 senators would be required for the approval of the constitutional amendment.
If, finally, the PML-N stays out of the loop in the passage of the proposed 18th Amendment, it will result in the total break of its coalition with the PPP. It would be like a dream coming true for the President, concluded the article.
Musharraf must not be equated with Pak, nor Pak with him: Nawaz
"I think Musharraf is Musharraf, Pakistan is Pakistan. They must not equate Musharraf with Pakistan or equate Pakistan with Musharraf. US policy all along has been to support the people of Pakistan and to have friendly relations with the country and not with one man," The News quoted Nawaz as saying in an interview with 'Voice of America' (VOA).
Nawaz Sharif has said that the PPP-led coalition government must emerge out from the shadow of Pakistan President Musharraf, who, according to him, had dominated Pakistan and its relationship with the US for too long.
He said that in the present circumstances Pakistan was equated with Musharraf and Musharraf with Pakistan.
He added: "People want to see the change that they voted for. Of course the first change they wanted to see and still want to see is to have a new president of this country. Because they are absolutely certain that the eight years of Musharraf's rule have brought them a lot of problems."
Nawaz dismissed suggestions the federal government had ignored serious problems while it remains deadlocked on the judges' issue. "This issue I think can, God forbid, make or break a democratic Pakistan. So if we ignore this issue and just simply allow it to fade out, I think we will be committing the biggest crime in the political history of the country," he added.
Nawaz Sharif believes that reinstating the judges who were sacked by President General Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007, would ensure the resolution of the country's other problems.
"People want to see the change that they voted for in February elections," he said in interview given to the Voice of America.
"Of course, first change they wanted to see and still want to see is to have a new president of this country. Because they are absolutely certain that eight years of Musharraf's rule has brought them a lot of problems," Sharif said.
He rejected suggestions that the government had ignored serious problems while being deadlocked on the judges' issue.
"This issue I think can, God forbid, make or break a democratic Pakistan. So, if we ignore this issue and just simply allow it to fade out, I think we will be committing the biggest crime in political history of the country," Sharif said.
In long term, Sharif said the government must emerge from the shadow of President Musharraf, who he says has dominated Pakistan, and its relationship with the United States, for too long.
"I think Musharraf is Musharraf, Pakistan is Pakistan. They must not equate Musharraf with Pakistan or equate Pakistan with Musharraf. U.S. policy all along has been to support people of Pakistan and to have friendly relations with the country and not with one man," he said. (ANI)
