Nawaz to abandon judges cause F.P. Report

LAHORE: PML (N) President Nawaz Sharif has decided to follow the line adopted by chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party Benazir Bhutto that was to fight for the establishment of independent judiciary and not pursue the cause of judges who either refused to take oath under PCO or were summarily removed from their jobs by a decree issued by General Pervez Musharraf. Immaculate sources confided with The Frontier Post that Nawaz Sharif in consultation with his top political aides decided to abandon the cause of judges once they become a part of the National Assembly, in case free and fair elections were held in the country. However, it was decided that PML (N) should continue to agitate the case of the judges during the election campaign to gain public support that was solidly behind the judiciary. Nawaz Sharif camp strongly felt that with no international support the restoration of some the judges was not an achievable goal because it was also sticking point with President Pervez Musharraf and that PML (N) will not be in a position to muster or cobble up enough votes amounting 2/3rd majority in the National Assembly, a requirement to bring back the judges. The change of strategy was necessitated by the candid decision of Benazir Bhutto who has made it clear that her party will support every move for the independence of judiciary and removal of restrictions imposed on the media. However, her party will not take up the case of restoration of the judges removed after the law of emergency was put in place by Musharraf. Benazir Bhutto came back after the NRO ordinance will feel insecure in case all the judges were reinstated to their pre November 3 positions because a bench of the Supreme Court had stayed the implementation of the NRO creating problems for PPP chairperson and several other politicians who were beneficiaries of the reconciliation law. The secret decision of PML (N) is a classic example of Pakistani political hypocrisy because outwardly Nawaz Sharif was supporting the cause of the judges while in fact he had no sympathy for some of the judges and was not prepared to make a sacrifice for them. He knew that the Americans were annoyed with some of the judges who had decided the Lal Masjid case and therefore was not prepared the under take any serious confrontation with the establishment on the issue.