PPP ready to work with Musharraf
No two-thirds majority to impeach President: Zardari
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW YORK - PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was on Monday quoted by a major US newspaper as saying that he would seek a working relationship with President Pervez Musharraf since their coalition government may not be able to impeach him.
The ground reality is that we do not have two-thirds majority in both the houses of Parliament that would be required for a successful impeachment, Zardari said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
Our main objective is to work for the smooth transition to democracy, he said. The newspapers correspondent, who interviewed the PPP leader, wrote, His (Zardaris) comments are among the most conciliatory to date from a senior official of the coalition regarding its intended approach to Musharraf.
We want to unify the country, which is facing some very serious challenges, Zardari said. We have to establish democracy and for that we need unity and not confrontation.
The PPP hasnt officially nominated its candidate for prime minister, but Zardari confirmed that Amin Fahim was the front-runner. We will name the candidate when the party is invited to form the government, he said.
Zardari said his government would increase cooperation with the US, adding that Pakistan faces its own threat from the extremists. We are fighting our own war on terror, rather than the American war on terror, he said.
Zardari said his government would not talk to the militants, but that it would reach out to the people living in the tribal areas. We will take democracy there and political reforms to win the support of the tribesmen.
The PPP leader said he did not have any intention of becoming prime minister, but would concentrate on party organisation and assist the government. Though leader of the party, he did not seek a seat in Parliament in the election. It is more important to guide the government and the party, he said.
Zardari indicated that he might run for a parliamentary seat in a by-election Benazir Bhuttos constituency in Sindh. I will contest the elections if the party decides, he said.
Our Monitoring Desk adds: Zardari said his party supported PML-N over the freedom of judiciary and Presidents powers in parliamentary system, reported a private TV channel, quoting him as saying in an interview with The Hindustan Times.
He said PML-N, JUI and MQM all ensured their support to PPP for the formation of the government, adding that PPP sided with PML-N over the freedom of judiciary.
Responding a question regarding the next premier, Zardari said PPP does not believe in provincialism and that there is no harm in nominating PM from any province whatsoever.
He said his first priority is to solve the issue of terrorism in the country, as the country faces this threat and the whole world supported Pakistan against this menace, adding Pakistan is the frontline state against the terrorism. We are directly at threat. The world is behind us. Pakistan cannot help but be serious about it.
APP adds: Zardari said his party would take forward peace process with India. He said this peace process was initiated by the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1972 and reaffirmed by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in her talks with Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988.
When asked about composite dialogue process initiated by President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2004, he said it was not initiated by President Pervez Musharraf rather it was started by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1972.
When asked whether Nawaz Sharif would come around to his stand to institutionalised the judiciarys independence and rightsize the Presidencys powers, he said Nawaz Sharif was with us on this stance.
To another question he said Pakistan was a very difficult country to govern. The situation we find ourselves in is very difficult.
Answering a question whether Benazirs absence make you feel lonely sometimes, Zardai said what do mean lonely? We are lost without her. Her memories are strewn all over. The walls, the people around, remind me of her. In spirit, she will always be with us and lead us. Im not leading the party, she is leading it from Garhi Khuda Bux.
The Nation