World Affairs Board - View Single Post - No one can stop Nawaz’s return, revival of democracy

Ray · 04-11-2006, 13:46 PM

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Tuesday, April 11, 2006 E-Mail this article to a friend Printer Friendly Version

‘No one can stop Nawaz’s return, revival of democracy’

By Zakir Hassnain

PESHAWAR: Nobody can stop Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif from returning to Pakistan and restoration of democracy is the only way to pull the country out of the current crisis, PML-N leaders said on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference, PML-N Provincial Finance Secretary Sher Azam Khan, Information Secretary Arshid Qureshi and Jehanzeb Khattak demanded the immediate release of the party’s acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and party leader Khawaja Saad Rafiq, along with all other political leaders who were detained without any reason. They said that President Pervez Musharraf would have to go and Nawaz Sharif would come back to Pakistan this year.

Sher Azam said that important decisions would be made in the next three to four weeks as prominent political leaders including Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto, Mian Nawaz Sharif, the Awami National Party’s Asfandyar Wali and leaders of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal were due to meet in London shortly.

Azam said that Nawaz would never strike any deal with the current rulers of Pakistan. “Nawaz would rather stay out of power than compromise,” he said. He said that the party’s central working committee would make a final decision about when Nawaz should return to Pakistan. Azam said that the provincial leadership had called a meeting of executive council and district presidents on April 18 and 19 to formulate the party’s future strategy on vital matters, including Nawaz’s return.

The PML-N provincial leaders demanded that the present government form an interim government, acceptable to all political parties and hold fair, free and transparent general elections supervised by an independent election commission.

The PML-N information secretary urged the government to end that military operation in the tribal areas and Balochistan and instead, find a political solution to the problem. He said that the country was passing through one of the darkest periods in its history and it was only due to the flawed policies of the current rulers, adding that the economy had taken a nose-dive, and with inflation and unemployment on the rise, life was becoming very difficult for the common man.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-4-2006_pg7_22

The political campaign seems to have started in real earnest!

I wonder how NS will return to Pakistan this year.

Even if Musharraf is inclined to allow the leaders in exile or otherwise to return so that there appears to be a free and fair elections, the political lightweights of Musharraf's govt will jump out of the seat of their pants!

Irrespective of their 'crimes' both NS and BB are forces to reckon with and they have a way to grab the hearts of the electorate.

Musharraf may have done better for Pakistan, but his appearing to be a handmaiden of the US is something that common Pakistanis prefer to forget as a bad dream.

The last lambasting Bush gave, right on the soil of Pakistan, would surely not have taken well by the common Pakistani since it was quite an insult to be told that the US will ensure democracy as also that Paksitan should pull up her socks in so far as the war on terror.

I wonder how the whole show till emerge.