Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Pakistan heading towards political crises

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Jan 30, IRNA -- Pakistan is seeing heading towards political crises as the major opposition party is asking the people to come to the streets.

Pakistan Muslim League-N chief and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif whose party quit the ruling coalition last year is critical at the policies of the government.

He accuses President Asif Ali Zardari of pursuing the policies of former military President Pervez Musharraf.

PML-N has extended full support to the long march of the lawyers? community on March 9 for restoration of judges, expressing the hope that masses would give enthusiastic response to the event like they had done to the last long march.

However the party has made it clear that it was not talking about changing the government, rather they wanted the system to be changed.

The gulf between the PPP and PML-N had widened after both the parties failed to find a solution acceptable to both the parties for judge's restoration.

On August 7, 2008, the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) agreed to force former President Pervez Musharraf to step down and begin his impeachment.

The pressure of political parties had forced Musharraf to resign but after the resignation of Musharraf, PPP and PML-N could not find solution to various problems.

Despite the assurances from the PPP the judges could not be restored and the ruling coalition finally broke up.

The slogan of the Pakistan Muslim League-N was the restoration of the deposed judges who were sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf.

Pakistani Lawyers since then have been struggling against the government to restore Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as Chief Justice of Pakistan along with other deposed judges; however, the government is reluctant to restore Justice Chaudhry to his original position.

The lawyers in June 2008 had carried out a long march but lawyers and political activists dispersed without staging a sit-in outside the Parliament House.

The people of Pakistan were hopeful when PML-N and PPP announced to unanimously resolve their problems including restoration of judiciary, however, collapse of ruling coalition had increased the possibility of the revival of traditional political bitterness.

Soon after the announcement of break up of the coalition the members of PPP and PML-N started blaming each other party for creating unrest in the country.

Pakistan's stocks and currency strengthened when Musharraf stepped down but then weakened as the political squabbling dragged on.

PML-N chief and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that he would continue to play its role for the restoration of deposed judges, saying his party could not move forward without mending and strengthening the institution of judiciary, which was an important pillar of state.

Nawaz said he wanted to reverse all the wrongs done by the dictator who had played havoc with the Constitution and judiciary.

Despite the break up of coalition in Centre PPP and PML-N have a coalition government in the province of Punjab.

The PPP has often asked the PML-N to step down from the government of Punjab if it does not want to be in the government.

The role of Governor Punjab Salman Taseer right from the time he assumed his office is coming under serious scrutiny and many accuse him of setting the stage for confrontation in the Punjab.

According to the PML-N, the acts of the governor were a repetition of the 1988 strategy.

Information Minister criticized the PML-N chief statement about the long march adding the PML-N was enjoying two rides by acting as an opposition party at the Centre while leading the coalition government in the Punjab.

Urging the political forces not to use every issue for political motives, the minister said the country was passing through a critical phase and all the political forces should keep the national interest supreme.

Emphasising the government's resolve to address all outstanding issues through dialogue, she said the government was keeping its doors open for talks with the PML-N and other political forces.