[The News (Pak) Top Stories] The gloves came off fully on Sunday when PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif dubbed the president as the biggest threat to democracy. It was reminiscent of the nineties when the opposition and the government would be incessantly at each others' throats.The PML-N supremo, who appeared a man who had simply had enough of his forced political honeymoon with adversary-turned-friend-turned-adversary President Asif Ali Zardari, was unforgiving in his criticism of the latest presidential action of trying to force judicial appointments in defiance of the chief justice of Pakistan's recommendation.
Calling the appointment of judges by the government against the CJ's recommendation as "action replay of November 03, 2007 action by Musharraf", he said that he saw President Asif Ali Zardari as the biggest threat to democracy, maintaining that his party would play its due role inside and outside parliament with the support of the people.
"I have not seen a bigger threat to democracy than from President Zardari as the President House has once again tried to impose its will on the judiciary," Nawaz said while addressing a news conference after presiding over a PML-N consultative meeting here at the Punjab House.
Sharif also hinted that the coming days would be very important. "We will take important decisions in the days to come while keeping a close eye on the rulers," he maintained. He also hastened to advise the Army from playing any interventionist role by adding "the Army should stay out of it because we are capable of taking care of the situation ourselves".
Sharif ruled out any role from the third force in the present situation. "We will handle the situation ourselves and do not involve the Pakistan Army in the system," he said while responding to a question.
He said he had asked the prime minister a day earlier not to further delay the appointment of judges and follow the Supreme Court's recommendations in this connection. "I was assured that the same would be done but what happened the next day was totally different," he said.
To a question about the PML-N's role of friendly opposition, he demanded the resignation of the NRO beneficiaries, asked them to face courts and also demanded of President Zardari to bring back the country's wealth stashed away "in his Swiss bank accounts". Nawaz Sharif said the November 03 action was taken by a dictator but regretted that the February 13 decision goes to the credit of ademocratic government, which had made the judiciary its target to "cover its own acts of corruption".
The former prime minister said the PML-N would mobilise the people and would also contact other political parties so that the democratic system did not fall prey to any misadventure. He maintained that the time had come to play a straightforward role to safeguard democracy and institutions. "We cannot act as silent spectators to the situation where an individual on his own will is disgracing institutions of the nation for the sake of his interests and objectives," he said.