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| India-Pakistan |
| Nawaz snubs Fazl's mediation efforts |
| 2009-12-26 |
| [Dawn] As aides prepare the agenda for a proposed meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N is putting pressure on the PPP to make the summit result-oriented. This was indicated by a press release issued after Awami National Party leader and Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour called on Mr Sharif here on Friday. The press release said that the PML-N chief severely criticised the PPP for its policy of not accepting wholeheartedly the Supreme Court decision on the National Reconciliation Ordinance and spoke about unfulfilled promises made by Mr Zardari in the past. Also on Friday, Mr Sharif declined to meet Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman when he visited the Raiwind residence of the former prime minister. The JUI-F chief was reported to have gone there to persuade Mr Sharif to show flexibility on the agenda of his proposed meeting with the president. Mr Sharif's spokesperson said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif received Maulana Fazl and held talks with him. The JUI-F chief insisted he had gone to meet the chief minister, but declined to say anything when asked why he went to Raiwind when he could have met Mr Shahbaz Sharif at his office or residence in Lahore. The Pakistan People's Party also appears to be testing the nerves of its main rival. It had indicated earlier that the fate of the 17th Amendment, the most critical issue for the PML-N, would be decided on Dec 31, but has now given a new date of Jan 4. Some PPP leaders even say that the issue may not be resolved till March. Although the PML-N leadership has stopped some hawks in the party from harshly criticising President Zardari, the press release quoted the party chief as telling Mr Bilour that the country was facing a difficult situation because of the government's unwillingness to implement the Charter of Democracy and fulfil written and verbal promises. He said 20 months had elapsed but the government was being run under a "defaced" Constitution given by former army ruler Pervez Musharraf. Nothing had been done even to establish an independent accountability system as enshrined in the CoD, he said. The PML-N criticised the PPP leadership for making Supreme Court's NRO verdict controversial and said that this was angering the masses. However, he expressed the hope that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani would implement the verdicts on the NRO and written-off bank loans and said that would be a positive move for supremacy of the law and stability of the democratic system and reflect the aspirations of the masses. He said implementation of the verdicts would improve the country's image and discourage a culture of corruption. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Maybe if he offered him a cookie, he would think differently. |
| Posted by: badanov 2009-12-26 16:19 |