News
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Musharraf urged to approach SC over NA resolution on judges
* President’s advisers say parliament cannot reverse SC verdicts
* Claim only 2/3rds majority vote in both houses can restore judgesBy Azaz Syed and Sajjad Malik
ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf’s legal advisers have proposed that he should approach the Supreme Court (SC) on whether parliament can restore the sacked judges through a resolution, sources told Daily Times on Monday. The sources said that Sharifuddin Pirzada and Attorney General Malik Qayyum met President Musharraf two days ago and advised him to challenge any such resolution in the SC. They told him that the Constitution did not allow parliament to reverse SC’s decisions. Insiders said a writ petition would be filed with the SC in this regard — a move that would pre-empt any political moves by the coalition government to undo the November 3, 2007, actions of the president. Caretaker Law Minister Afzal Haider declined to comment.. Two-thirds: Also on Monday, sources said that the president met several of his closest aides, including Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro, to determine how to deal with the possibility of the sacked judiciary being restored. “The president was told that [the] removal of judges has become part of the Constitution and it can only be undone through another constitutional amendment with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of parliament. There is no other solution to the judicial sacking,” they said. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz signed a power sharing deal after negotiations at Bhurban on Sunday, and announced in a press conference that the deal included a pledge to re-instate the judges sacked on November 3 through a resolution in parliament, within 30 days of the formation of the new federal government. The sources said that Musharraf had also consulted his aides to finalise a possible date to convene the incoming assembly in light of a summary forwarded to him from the prime minister. The president announced on Friday that the session would be called within 10 days.
Courtesy Daily Times