Judges to be restored ‘soon’

Pakistan PM Yusuf Raza Gilani announces that the restoration of judges would take place through an executive order “as soon as possible”. Kamal Siddiqi reports.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani announced on Tuesday that the restoration of judges would take place through an executive order “as soon as possible” if the coalition partners agree on this issue. Gilani indicated he could issue the order within the next couple of days “provided Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari agree”.

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The Pakistani PM was speaking at a parliamentary meeting at which members of the Pakistan Muslim League, coalition partners of the government, complained that government silence over the restoration of judges was causing confusion and anger within their ranks. MPs of the PML-N said they had been elected on the platform of restoration of judges and that is why this issue was important to them.

A few hours earlier, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari announced that the deposed judges will be reinstated as per the Bhurban agreement. “The Bhurban agreement and Murree declaration will be implemented in letter and sprit at any cost,” they said at a joint news conference after talks were held in Islamabad.

The time period of 30 days given for the reinstatement of the judges is also the part of Bhurban agreement, Sharif said.

He dismissed talk of a deadlock among the ruling collation partners over the judges’ issue, saying, “There was only difference of opinion and the difference of opinion, which has been resolved, is the beauty of the democracy”.