Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has threatened to pull his party out of Pakistan's ruling coalition if it does not decide by Friday to reinstate judges deposed last November by former president Pervez Musharraf, according to local press reports Thursday.
The private Geo TV reported that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader told a U.S. newspaper that his party would quit the ruling alliance if judges were not restored. However, he said that PML-N would not pose any threat to the government while sitting on opposition benches.
"It will be a bad day for the democracy and country if judges are not reinstated," Sharif said.
In March, Sharif and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-Chairman As if Ali Zardari agreed to reinstate some 60 judges deposed on Nov.3, 2007 by Musharraf within 30 days after the coalition was formed. After the deadline passed, the PML-N ministers in the coalition submitted resignation and stayed out of the cabinet till now.
Soon after Musharraf announced his resignation on Aug. 18, Sharif asked Zardari to immediately restore the deposed judges as the main hurdle in the way of their restoration no more existed. However, after a four-hour talk, the two and other coalition partners had not got a conclusion on it.
A meeting of the coalition partners is scheduled Friday to discuss critical issues including deposed judges and new presidential candidates.
The PML (N) rank have claimed that they would not tolerate any further delay in the judges restoration and they would not hesitate to quit the coalition if all the judges were not restored.
Meanwhile, lawyers planned to observe a complete boycott of courts and stage protest demonstrations and hunger strikes across the country Thursday for the restoration of deposed judges.
"Ruling coalition has failed to fulfill its promises made to people for restoration of judges deposed by former president," leaders organizing the boycott said.
They vowed to continue the struggle and bring the masses onto the roads against the rulers.
They said that there was no hurdle in reinstatement of deposed judges after Musharraf's resignation as president.
Source: Xinhua
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