ajpirzada
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Nawaz’s about-turn
Saturday, 27 Mar, 2010
WITH Nawaz Sharif’s U-turn on the constitutional reform package, once again it has been established that the PML-N is a regional party and that the Sharifs’ are incapable of looking beyond their petty personal ambitions and vendettas.
It is now clear to all and sundry that this party is still an establishment party and cannot be trusted to rule the Federation.
Nine months of painstaking consensus-building exercise, so many meetings and laborious efforts of the committee members have come to naught just because of petty politics of a single politician who loves to claim to be on a high ‘moral pedestal’. What duplicity?
After almost 38 years the nation was finally going to have something to celebrate and our so viciously maligned politicians finally could have walked with their heads held high but alas this was not to be, just because one of their so-called own, Nawaz Sharif, could not shake the pressure from the black robe fraternity.
It was the Mr Sharif who from the first day of this government has been crying hoarse to implement the CoD, blaming Mr Zardari for dilly-dallying and now when time has come, he himself shies away? What a shame.
He himself had penned down the judicial appointment procedure with Ms Bhutto. It should have been implemented in letter and in spirit but, nonetheless, for consensus other parties, especially the PPP, accommodated all the changes wanted by the PML-N in this procedure and even their last-minute change of including a retired judge in this commission were accepted, and yet without caring for the nation the PML-N ran away, this is highly deplorable and disappointing.
On the name of Pukhtoonkhwa, the PML-N people have been giving the impression that it is a settled matter and the package will not be delayed due to this.
But now they have about-faced on this matter too. One is bound to ask, whose agenda the PML-N is following. It certainly is not Pakistan’s agenda.
If this U-turn was not shocking enough for us, the words used by Nawaz Sharif at his press conference and then on a talk show later that evening really jolted the nation. His words conveyed something like that the 17th Amendment was stitched with other issues needlessly and now everyone is asking his ‘price’ (price was the actual word used by him).
Does he mean that Asfandyar Wali by asking for a name for his province is extracting a price or is demanding provincial autonomy tantamount to asking a price or is granting provinces’ rights in their natural resources tantamount to asking a price?
If these are the prices being asked to pay, then it is not at all a bad deal for the Federation and anyone claiming to be a true Pakistani must not object to pay these prices.
This nation can only request Mr Sharif to shed his stubbornness and resist this pressure being piled onto him by some known quarters to scuttle this landmark reform package, this might also help restore some of the face lost by the PML-N.
Postscript: I feel sorry for Ishaq Dar and Ahsan Iqbal who have been let down by their leader.
MUHAMMAD ASIF
Lahore
(II)
NAWAZ Sharif’s about-face on the agreed constitutional amendments in the nick of time, following his brother’s “spare Punjab” utterances earlier this month, has proved that to the Sharif Brothers no other cause is dearer than their own selfish interests.
Why did not Ahsan Iqbal and others of the PML-N on the constitutional committee lay bare their disagreements with the other parties earlier? Until recently Mr Sharif was attributing to the PPP the delay in evolving a consensus on amendments that would have restored the Constitution to its original character. Now he himself has proved how reckless he can be in handling an important national issue.
The name of a province is the prerogative of the people of that province. It is crazy to impose the will of others on such a small matter. This way Mr Sharif has sabotaged all the good work done dexterously over the past few months by the Raza Rabbani Committee. His argument that his party members do not agree with the new name for the NWFP is bogus. His real motive is to deny credit to the ruling PPP-led government for what would have been a historic national consensus on the constitution.
There is no doubt electronic and print media loyal to Raiwind will soon spring to his support. It is not only for the ANP but also for all patriotic political parties and citizens to see through this game. Hats off to the ruling party that in spite of all the betrayal and political intrigue on the part of PML-N, it is yet displaying tolerance and patience.
DR. M. R. SIDDIQI
Karachi
(III)
NAWAZ Sharif came in his true colours when he stalled the signing of the much-awaited draft amendment bill prepared by the all-party Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms.
Although the constitutional package is part of the Charter of Democracy (CoD) signed by him and the late Benazir Bhutto during their exile in London, it was concluded after a lengthy debate of two years by the parliamentary committee, composing members from the entire political spectrum.
So what is the difference between President Zardari’s earlier backtracking from his pledge of restoring the judiciary and now Nawaz Sharif’s summersault on his commitment with the CoD?
When he came back to Pakistan after remaining in self-obtained exile for more than eight years, the general perception was that the trauma of a long stay outside the country had taught him a lesson and now Nawaz Sharif was no more a single-tracked and pro-Taliban businessman, accidentally turned politician.
If the political leadership, especially belonging to larger parties, does not follow the basic norms of common sense and decency, people will lose confidence in the very institution of democracy.
M. ASLAM TURK
Hyderabad
DAWN.COM | Letters to the Editor | Nawaz?s about-turn
Saturday, 27 Mar, 2010
WITH Nawaz Sharif’s U-turn on the constitutional reform package, once again it has been established that the PML-N is a regional party and that the Sharifs’ are incapable of looking beyond their petty personal ambitions and vendettas.
It is now clear to all and sundry that this party is still an establishment party and cannot be trusted to rule the Federation.
Nine months of painstaking consensus-building exercise, so many meetings and laborious efforts of the committee members have come to naught just because of petty politics of a single politician who loves to claim to be on a high ‘moral pedestal’. What duplicity?
After almost 38 years the nation was finally going to have something to celebrate and our so viciously maligned politicians finally could have walked with their heads held high but alas this was not to be, just because one of their so-called own, Nawaz Sharif, could not shake the pressure from the black robe fraternity.
It was the Mr Sharif who from the first day of this government has been crying hoarse to implement the CoD, blaming Mr Zardari for dilly-dallying and now when time has come, he himself shies away? What a shame.
He himself had penned down the judicial appointment procedure with Ms Bhutto. It should have been implemented in letter and in spirit but, nonetheless, for consensus other parties, especially the PPP, accommodated all the changes wanted by the PML-N in this procedure and even their last-minute change of including a retired judge in this commission were accepted, and yet without caring for the nation the PML-N ran away, this is highly deplorable and disappointing.
On the name of Pukhtoonkhwa, the PML-N people have been giving the impression that it is a settled matter and the package will not be delayed due to this.
But now they have about-faced on this matter too. One is bound to ask, whose agenda the PML-N is following. It certainly is not Pakistan’s agenda.
If this U-turn was not shocking enough for us, the words used by Nawaz Sharif at his press conference and then on a talk show later that evening really jolted the nation. His words conveyed something like that the 17th Amendment was stitched with other issues needlessly and now everyone is asking his ‘price’ (price was the actual word used by him).
Does he mean that Asfandyar Wali by asking for a name for his province is extracting a price or is demanding provincial autonomy tantamount to asking a price or is granting provinces’ rights in their natural resources tantamount to asking a price?
If these are the prices being asked to pay, then it is not at all a bad deal for the Federation and anyone claiming to be a true Pakistani must not object to pay these prices.
This nation can only request Mr Sharif to shed his stubbornness and resist this pressure being piled onto him by some known quarters to scuttle this landmark reform package, this might also help restore some of the face lost by the PML-N.
Postscript: I feel sorry for Ishaq Dar and Ahsan Iqbal who have been let down by their leader.
MUHAMMAD ASIF
Lahore
(II)
NAWAZ Sharif’s about-face on the agreed constitutional amendments in the nick of time, following his brother’s “spare Punjab” utterances earlier this month, has proved that to the Sharif Brothers no other cause is dearer than their own selfish interests.
Why did not Ahsan Iqbal and others of the PML-N on the constitutional committee lay bare their disagreements with the other parties earlier? Until recently Mr Sharif was attributing to the PPP the delay in evolving a consensus on amendments that would have restored the Constitution to its original character. Now he himself has proved how reckless he can be in handling an important national issue.
The name of a province is the prerogative of the people of that province. It is crazy to impose the will of others on such a small matter. This way Mr Sharif has sabotaged all the good work done dexterously over the past few months by the Raza Rabbani Committee. His argument that his party members do not agree with the new name for the NWFP is bogus. His real motive is to deny credit to the ruling PPP-led government for what would have been a historic national consensus on the constitution.
There is no doubt electronic and print media loyal to Raiwind will soon spring to his support. It is not only for the ANP but also for all patriotic political parties and citizens to see through this game. Hats off to the ruling party that in spite of all the betrayal and political intrigue on the part of PML-N, it is yet displaying tolerance and patience.
DR. M. R. SIDDIQI
Karachi
(III)
NAWAZ Sharif came in his true colours when he stalled the signing of the much-awaited draft amendment bill prepared by the all-party Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms.
Although the constitutional package is part of the Charter of Democracy (CoD) signed by him and the late Benazir Bhutto during their exile in London, it was concluded after a lengthy debate of two years by the parliamentary committee, composing members from the entire political spectrum.
So what is the difference between President Zardari’s earlier backtracking from his pledge of restoring the judiciary and now Nawaz Sharif’s summersault on his commitment with the CoD?
When he came back to Pakistan after remaining in self-obtained exile for more than eight years, the general perception was that the trauma of a long stay outside the country had taught him a lesson and now Nawaz Sharif was no more a single-tracked and pro-Taliban businessman, accidentally turned politician.
If the political leadership, especially belonging to larger parties, does not follow the basic norms of common sense and decency, people will lose confidence in the very institution of democracy.
M. ASLAM TURK
Hyderabad
DAWN.COM | Letters to the Editor | Nawaz?s about-turn
