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Power-sharing deal in Pakistan

By admin | October 5, 2007

ISLAMABAD: The draft of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was finalised midnight Thursday with the concurrence of Chairperson Pakistan People’s Party Benazir Bhutto.
The NRO was finalised after a marathon meeting chaired by President General Pervez Musharraf at the PM House. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, PML President Ch Shujaat Hussain and key cabinet ministers participated in this meeting.

The draft of the NRO was exchanged several times between the government and London-based Ms Bhutto, the major beneficiary of this new law. However, a top source said: “The draft NRO is not party or person-specific.”

“The indemnity has been offered across the board and it will be for all the office-holders of political parties and bureaucrats who were charged under different alleged corruption laws and corrupt practices in the past,” said a top aide to President Musharraf, who held a series of negotiations with Benazir Bhutto.

The same law will also provide indemnity to the two-time exiled Sharif brothers and several bureaucrats currently abroad. The period of 1988 to October 1999 will be covered in this law, which will be promulgated after approval of the draft in a special cabinet meeting convened today (Friday). The cabinet-passed NRO will be sent to President General Musharraf for his approval before its formal announcement.

One of the major provisions of the NRO is that no parliamentarian will be proceeded against in corruption cases until and unless his/her case is referred to a special “Ethic Committee of the Parliament” (EC) comprising parliamentarians of both the treasury and opposition benches.

One interpretation of the NRO is that in future no parliamentarian would be touched by the National Accountability Bureau or other agencies unless their cases are referred to the EC. “Yes, Benazir Bhutto has agreed to the NRO draft and it helps her and her party office-holders in a great way,” said a PPP leader, adding, “all these politicians would get a clean chit and they would be equal to holy cows”.

A top source told The News that, “all issues relating to the NRO have been ironed out with the concurrence of Ms Bhutto”. However, one view is that the NRO will not be made public till ruling/order of the Supreme Court in a petition filed by Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed who challenged nomination of Musharraf for his re-election on October 6.

Benazir Bhutto has also given her consent that the two petitions, one filed by Makhdoom Amin Fahim in the Suprme Court and the other filed by Faryal Talpur in the Sindh High Court, would be withdrawn.

The agreement on the NRO between the government and Ms Bhutto reflected that both the parties were bent over backward for accommodating each others’ point of view in a spirit of national reconciliation.

Sharif brothers and their party leaders and that of APDM leaders, including MMA stalwarts, are raising their serious objections on the NRO, though some of them will also take benefit from it. Many say that Ms Bhutto did not press hard for accepting her demand of third-time prime minister, as it was a secondary issue. “Benazir Bhutto wanted to clear her name from charges and that was important to her,” said a top PPP leader.

He said that if the PPP performs well and get majority of seats in the 342-member National Assembly, it would not be a problem for her to get remove restriction on the third-time prime minister. “She wanted to have a level-playing field, as free and fair elections would help her party to win majority of seats,” he said.

Online adds from London: Benazir Bhutto hoped that dialogue between the PPP and government would be finally solved within few hours. “We are very near to the reconciliation with the government and awaiting for return of Makhdoom Amin Fahim in Pakistan”, she said.

She expressed these views in a press conference here in London Thursday. She said that PPP would not accept a uniformed President according to its agenda. The government has already declared that Musharraf will doff off his uniform before the election, because PPP cannot vote for a uniformed President, she added.

“I am optimist about the reconciliation and am awaiting for that auspicious day. President General Pervez Musharraf knows very well that the PPP is not going to vote him in because, entire nation wants that President Musharraf must contest election without uniform,” she said.

“PPP wants free and fair election and election must be held in the presence of International observers,” she said adding that during the dialogue the issue of her return was also included.

She further said that if reconciliation is signed then the PPP would not tender resignations, since then there would also be no hurdle in her return to Pakistan. “We have also discussed 58(2)(b) but no progress has been witnessed in this connection, as I have not received written proof documents yet,” she added.

“The PPP has not only raised the voice only for its own interests but always keep the interests of rest of the parties,” she said. Benazir said that the newly elected president would also have to pass the stage of getting vote of confidence from the new Parliament.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Railway Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Tariq Azim Thursday said they were optimistic about achieving a “breakthrough” in talks with Benazir Bhutto.

They stated this while talking to foreign news agency and private TV channel in Islamabad. “The next few hours are crucial but we are guardedly optimistic about a breakthrough with Benazir Bhutto. She is showing that she is a very clever politician,” Tariq Azeem said.

Azeem added that a presidential decree, or ordinance, giving her indemnity on the graft cases could be issued later in the day. Sheikh Rasheed said that session of the National Assembly had been postponed due to PPP meeting in London and he was optimistic about deal with PPP. “She is waiting for the court decision for presidential election and she will not tender resignations from assemblies,” he held.

He said after tendering resignations of MMA members, PPP importance had been doubled. She is shrewd leader and is using her card pragmatically; she wants to take negotiations to October 6 for taking more advantages in this way, Sheikh Rashid said.

Muhammad Saleh Zaafir adds: The federal cabinet that had an informal meting here at the PM House Thursday evening unanimously endorsed the policy of national reconciliation as a best way forward for Pakistan.

President General Pervez Musharraf also had discussion with the ministers on the occasion. Ruling PML President Ch Shujaat Hussain, Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro and Speaker National Assembly Ch Ameer Hussain also attended the meeting.

All the Ministers present gave a mandate to President Musharraf to pursue this policy in the manner that he deems fit as the best course for the country. They also reposed their full confidence that national reconciliation would reverse the wrongs of the past and put Pakistan on the path of democratic stability.

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