Presidential election to be completed this year: Aziz: Meeting discusses judicial crisis, Lal Masjid
By Ahmed Hassan
ISLAMABAD, April 22: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz chaired a high-level meeting held at the Prime Minister’s House on Sunday to discuss the judicial crisis and the lingering issue of Jaamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid.
Speaking at a press briefing after the meeting, the prime minister said that the next elections would be held according to the programme this year and president’s elections most probably would be completed within the tenure of the present assemblies.
Answering a question, he said President Gen Pervez Musharraf would himself decide whether and when to doff his uniform and become a civilian president.
He said the constitutional provision adopted by parliament allowed Gen Musharraf to remain president in uniform till December 2007.
He termed the presidential reference against Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry as within the constitutional domain, adding that no-one was above the law.
Mr Aziz brushed aside rumours about any deal with any political party and said that the government was, as a routine, in contact with various political parties which it would continue in future.
Replying to a query, he said important legislations were on the cards as the National Assembly would begin its 40th session in Islamabad on Monday and there was a possibility that a bill on provincial autonomy would be tabled.
He said he had taken serious notice of the ongoing loadshedding in Karachi and ordered a high-level meeting on Tuesday to look into the issue.
The government, sources said, was extremely perturbed over the profuse welcome accorded to the suspended chief justice in Peshawar where apart from the traditional reception by lawyers, 11 judges of the Peshawar High Court also turned up and attended the function addressed by Justice Iftikhar.
The trend was alarming as 15 judges of the Sindh High Court had attended a function arranged for the chief justice a few days back.
The issue of Jaamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid also figured in the meeting and the participants expressed their views on various proposals for resolving the issue which was causing embarrassment to the administration.
The issue was discussed at meting chaired by President Musharraf where a changed strategy was formulated.
Earlier, the prime minister was briefed by the ruling PML president, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who is spearheading negotiations for a settlement of the problem.
The prime minister held the briefing at the end of the five-hour long meeting on the latest situation relating to Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid.
The sources said that the meeting, also attended by senior representatives of sensitive agencies, took serious view of the political support that was growing for Justice Iftikhar and decided measures to meet the challenge.
About his China visit, Mr Aziz said it would open new avenues of cooperation between the two countries.
He said China and Pakistan were strategic partners who had been cooperating in the fields of economy, trade, energy, defence, investment, people-to-people contacts, culture and education.
