 |
| |
WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
 |
 |
 |
|
| President should not be authorised to dissolve NA: Zardari |
|
|
|
Monday, August 25, 2008
Says deposed CJ has become politicised; ‘no change in Pak-US relations’
NEW YORK: Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has said he believes the president should not be authorised to dissolve the National Assembly and the head of state’s role should be “ceremonial.”
In an interview with Newsweek before he was formally nominated as the president by his party, Zardari said: “Parliament is sovereign and one has to look at the future of Pakistan’s democracy as more important than individuals.”
To a question, the PPP leader said he was in favour of restoring the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. “I am personally in favour of restoring the chief justice, but there is an opinion in the party that he has become too politicised in the last many months and led public rallies,” Zardari said.
Elaborating his views on the powers of the president, he said: “We fought a war for democracy and all powers that Musharraf had enjoyed were obviously undemocratic. We need to have a debate in parliament and see how strong we want the future president (to be) and how strong we want to make our prime minister. I think the president should not have the power to dissolve the assembly.”
He said that he was not interested in taking any action against Pervez Musharraf, adding, the former president’s fate would be decided by parliament. “I don’t blame former president Musharraf for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. He can live in Pakistan. It is my desire Pervez Musharraf should live in the country and see it on the path to development. This will be the revenge for Benazir’s martyrdom,” he added.
He said the next president could exercise his power to grant indemnity to the former president. “After President Musharraf’s resignation, there will be no change in Pakistan-US relations and the ISI was not involved in the Kabul blasts,” he said, adding, the ruling coalition would remain strong in the next five years.
Meanwhile, in an interview with a US radio station, Zardari said the government’s top priority was to restore peace in the tribal areas and US support was required for the purpose. He said Pakistan needed the full support of the US to strengthen democracy, the economy and improve the security situation in the country.
About corruption charges, he said all the cases were politically-motivated, which had been rejected by the people of Pakistan. “People would have never voted for the PPP if the charges were correct,” he added. Zardari said the decision to bring a PPP man in the presidency was aimed at strengthening democracy.
In an interview with the BBC, Zardari said the agreement with the PML-N for the restoration of the deposed judges needed to be amended. He said no timeframe could be given for the reinstatement of the judges.
|
|
|
| Back
| Send
this story to Friend | Print
Version |
|
|
CJ says good governance being compromised
By Sohail Khan
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Tuesday that good governance is being compromised as it is believed that the administration of justice is the sole duty of courts or the legal fratern more |
|
|
Hakimullah dies of wounds in Multan?
By Mushtaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR: Reports about the death of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud once again started circulating on Tuesday and this time it was being reported that the militant commander had succumb more |
|
|
MNAs seek solution to Sindh-Punjab water rift
ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly on Tuesday urged for the resolution of the water crisis between Punjab and Sindh, failing which would lead to serious repercussions for the country.
Yousuf Tal more |
|
|
Good governance hinges on change in national behaviour: PM
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that change in the collective behaviour of the nation is necessary for the promotion of good governance. He said that his government believed in streng more |
|
|
NIC made mandatory to get sugar from USC outlets
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Tuesday made it mandatory to produce national identity cards to get a pack of 2kg sugar from the USC outlets.
The ECC met here unde more |
|
|
|
Three provinces to hold LG polls in four months
By Hanif Khalid & Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: A high level meeting here on Tuesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadr decided that the chief ministers of Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan would hold local government elections in four months.
President Asif Al more |
|
|
|
Senators condemn attack on Sh Rashid
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Senators on Tuesday strongly condemned the murder attempt on Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members advised Sheikh Rashid to stop more |
|
|
|
PIA obliges religiously; latest being religious minister
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), facing a mind-boggling loss of about Rs70billion, has quietly upgraded two seats of Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi and his wife fr more |
|
|
|
A brigadier without brigade has a history of thrashing
By Umar Cheema
ISLAMABAD: The basher-brigadier of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), who assaulted his professor colleague late Thursday, has a long list of such incidents on his credit as his resume is sprin more |
|
|
|
PAC settles drought money misuse
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: A special committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) probing misuse of drought funds worth million of rupees on Tuesday conveniently settled majority of charges against deputy auditor general o more |
|
|
|
NA-55 by-polls
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has urged all the political parties, including the PML-N, to withdraw from the NA-55 by-polls in favour of Sheikh Rashid.
“ more |
|
|
|
Point scoring be avoided in Rashid attack case: Shahbaz
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the Rawalpindi incident on Monday had grieved every Pakistani.
He said a joint investigation team comprising federal and provincial agencies including I more |
|
|
|
SC moved against delay in judges’ appointment
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was moved on Tuesday against the government’s delay in the appointment of judges in the apex court and was prayed for directing the government to perform its constitutional duty by more |
|
|
|
‘74 killed in Bajaur operation’
By Hasbanullah Khan
KHAR: Security forces claimed to have killed 74 militants and injured 54 others and wrested the strategically important hilltops and areas from the insurgents during the weeklong military operation in the Mamon more |
|
|
|
Afghan unrest kills US, French soldiers
KABUL: A US and French soldiers were killed in attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the alliance said.
The US service member was killed in an improvised bomb blast in southern Afghanis more |
|
|
|
Army called in for today’s Lakki by-election
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The government has requisitioned the services of the Pakistan Army to augment the police and civil security forces for conducting the NWFP Assembly by-election on PF-75 Lakki Marwat for which polling more |
|
|
|
Meeting discusses political issues
ISLAMABAD: A meeting held here at the presidency on Tuesday and presided over jointly by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani discussed political and development issues in the N more |
|
|
|
Rashid accuses PML-N of promoting criminal culture
ISLAMABAD: Head of Awami Muslim League, Sheikh Rashid, on Tuesday criticised the PML-N-led Punjab government for promoting criminal culture in Rawalpindi and the province.
Talking to a private TV channel more |
|
|
|
Briefs...
Over 64 dead in Afghan avalanches
KABUL: At least 24 bodies have been recovered and 40 other people are feared dead after avalanches swept vehicles into a ravine and trapped cars in a mountain pass overn more |
|
|
|
ISSN 1563-9479 
