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Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008
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Pakistan’s ruling coalition wrangles over judges

Nirupama Subramanian

25 killed as suicide bomber strikes at government hospital in NWFP

— Photo: AP/PML

Sorting it out: Leaders of Pakistan’s ruling coalition Asif Ali Zardari (centre), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (second from right) and Nawaz Sharif (right), prior to a meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday to decide on restoring the sacked judges.

ISLAMABAD: A day after Pervez Musharraf resigned as President of Pakistan, a suicide bombing in the North-West Frontier Province that killed 25 people was a vicious reminder of the challenges that await the democratic leadership, but ruling coalition partners are once again wrangling on reinstating the pre-November 2007 judiciary.

Leaders of the four-party ruling coalition came together for a second day of meetings that are said to have focused on the restoration of the judges General (retd.) Musharraf sacked in the November 2007 emergency.

The PML (N) team, led by Nawaz Sharif and his brother and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, is said to have given an “ultimatum” to Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari that the judges should be restored within 24 hours through an executive order, or the party would pull out of the coalition.

Mr. Zardari’s son and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was present at the meeting in which large teams from all four parties participated.

The coalition had earlier agreed that the judges would be restored “after” the impeachment of Gen. Musharraf, although no date or deadline was set.

The PPP is believed to be reluctant to restore the judges unconditionally as demanded by the PML(N) and the laywers’ movement.

The Sharif brothers returned to Lahore on Tuesday evening, and it was left to the smaller coalition partners — the Awami National Party and the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islami — to keep up appearances by declaring they had requested Mr. Sharif and Mr. Zardari for 72 hours to consult their own parties over the issue.

ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan and JuI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said their parties were not privy to earlier discussions and agreements between the two bigger parties on the judges’ issue, and hence wanted some time “to study the documents.”

Threat of more attacks

As the talks were being held in Zardari House on Tuesday afternoon, a suicide bomber struck at a government hospital in the NWFP town of Dera Ismail Khan. He targeted the crowded emergency ward, killing at least 25 and wounding more than 50 people. The Pakistani umbrella militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and warned of more if security forces did not roll back operations in Bajaur tribal agency and in the Swat valley.

Security forces are reported to have killed 26 militants and a civilian in clashes in Bajaur on Tuesday. In Kurram agency, more people were killed on the 13th straight day of a virtual all-out war between Shia and Sunni tribes that has now claimed over 80 lives.

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