In a show of strength, the three parties that emerged victorious in Pakistan’s general election, PPP, PML-N and ANP, today claimed they had the two-thirds majority in new Parliament and demanded that the National Assembly be convened immediately.

At a luncheon hosted by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for newly elected parliamentarians, leaders of the three parties said they would support each other to form the federal government and change the establishment to ensure that the military no longer had a role in Pakistan’s politics.

The parties formally decided to form coalition government at the Centre and vowed to restore judges and the 1973 Constitution in its original shape.

Addressing the luncheon, Nawaz Sharif claimed that the coalition had demonstrated its two-thirds majority required to impeach the President and amend the Constitution.

Top leaders of the three parties, Asif Ali Zardari (PPP), Nawaz Sharif (PML-N) and Asfandyar Wali Khan (ANP), also later met separately and sorted most of the matters concerning coalition making. They pledged to work together for complete restoration of democracy and rule of law.

Eminent jurist Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim also briefed the three leaders on the procedure to restore the deposed judges.

“We have come closer on major issues,” a senior PML-N leader, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, told reporters after the meeting.

“Gen Musharraf should read the writing on the wall and step down or face impeachment,” Sharif said, adding that there was no reason to delay the convening of the National Assembly. He expressed concern that Musharraf was still scheming to prolong the process of transfer of power to gain time for dividing the coalition parties. He said these efforts would be frustrated as people would not let their verdict be betrayed.

Asif Zardari and Asfandyar Wali, in their speeches, resolved to stay together for the restoration of democracy, independent judiciary, provincial autonomy and socio-economic justice.

Asif Ali Zardari said he would continue his struggle for the elimination of dictatorship and the restoration of democracy in the country. He said the martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto would always remind us to persist on the path of complete and true democracy. He added her sacrifices would always be remembered. Sharif and Wali paid glowing tributes to Bhutto saying in her death the country had lost one of its most eminent leaders and a valiant fighter for the cause of democracy.

Without naming President Pervez Musharraf, Zardari emphasised the need to change the system. PML-N chief and former premier Nawaz Sharif was more forthright in his comments against Musharraf saying the former military ruler should realise that the three parties and their supporters had a two-thirds majority.

Zardari said, “I appeal to all the political parties to work in concert with each other for the permanent elimination of dictatorship and any role of establishment,” He added, “Today, we are at the threshold of hope to change the destiny of the nation.” 

The PML-N chief, Nawaz Sharif, said today that his party would support the government led by the PPP but may not join the cabinet for now. However, his party may join the government after Musharraf quits.

“Our members are not prepared to take oath if administered by President Musharraf,” Sharif told a TV channel in an interview soon after he met PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari and ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan. The three parties have decided to form a coalition.

Sharif said it was possible that the PML-N would also share power at the Centre when Musharraf leaves the scene. He was confident that Musharraf would not be able to cling to his office in the coming days after Parliament meets.

In a brief chat with this correspondent at the dinner he hosted for coalition partners, Asif Zardari said the PML-N would join the PPP government at the federal level, while the PPP would join them in Punjab.

“We are seeking full participation and not just support from outside,” he remarked, adding that people had voted both parties to work together to clear the political and economic mess the country had landed during the past eight years.

Nawaz Sharif said he and Zardari had developed “perfect understanding” despite some earlier glitches. Zardari had also given firm assurance on the question of restoration of deposed judges. “There is no difference on this issue between us,” he added.

Karachi,February 27
Pakistan today said India's test launch of a nuclear-capable undersea ballistic missile could trigger a fresh arms race in the region. Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir described the development as a "very serious issue" as it was aimed at deploying nuclear weapons at sea.

The Pakistan Navy is tracking India's missile development programme and will take steps to counter the impact of the testing of the undersea missile, he said. — PTI

Melbourne, February 27
Australia has launched a probe into an incident where 13 Sikhs wearing turbans and a Muslim woman in a veil were told by security staff at Brisbane Airport to remove their headgear.

A federal probe has been launched into a ruling by the company in charge of the airport’s security asking passengers to remove their religious headgear, including turbans, veils and Jewish skullcaps, for security checks, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

An international flight was delayed at the weekend when employees from the ISS security asked 13 Sikhs wearing turbans and a Muslim woman in a veil to remove their headgear.

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development is probing whether the clampdown by the ISS breached federal airport policy.

The ISS employees yesterday said a directive was issued on Saturday demanding all passengers remove their religious headgear for security checks, regardless of whether there was any cause for suspicion.

“We were told you have to take them off, or you’ll be stood down,” an employee was quoted as saying in the report.

A spokesman from the Brisbane Sikh Temple said a member of the community who worked at the airport had brought the matter to their attention.

“We’re extremely concerned,” the spokesman said.

Vijaypal Singh of the Australian Sikh Association said he had never heard of such a security measure at any airport in the world.

An ISS spokesman said if workers believed they had been ordered to remove headgear of all passengers, there must have been a misunderstanding.

“The practice has always been not to remove headgear worn for cultural or religious reasons unless there is a security concern, such as the metal detector sounding,” he said.

A federal transport department spokesman said concerns about the procedures at Brisbane Airport would be investigated.

Airport spokesman Jim Carden said security measures requiring the removal of headgear after a security alarm had been in place for a decade.

President of the Brisbane Sikh Temple and a member of Sikh Council of Australia, Paramjit Singh Serai, said he would take up issue with federal immigration minister Chris Evans. — PTI