June 22, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Sani 17, 1429

LAHORE, June 21: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) says that agreeing to an increase in the number of Supreme Court judges from 16 to 29 does not mean that it has accepted the PCO-judges.

“The party has announced its support for the finance bill that proposes increase in the number of Supreme Court judges. But it does not mean that PCO-judges are being accepted,” PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal told reporters after the party’s constitutional committee briefed Nawaz Sharif here on Saturday about the Constitutional Package proposed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to strip the president of some powers, including the power to dissolve parliament, and reinstate the deposed judges.

According to Iqbal, new recruitments would be made to fill vacancies being created in the Supreme Court through the finance bill, as the PML-N would never accept the judges who pledged allegiance to President Pervez Musharraf under the Nov 3, 2007 Provisional Constitution Order (PCO).

He said as the restoration of deposed judges was the basis of the coalition government, his party would not compromise the issue in any case.

Answering a question about the Constitutional Package, he said the PML-N agreed to one-third of the 80-point package, gave suggestions second half of the package and expressed reservations about third half of the package.

However, he did not elaborate the reservations.

He told a questioner that PML-N and ANP were ready for Musharraf’s impeachment and that the delay was only from the PPP side.

About the fielding of a joint candidate for the presidency by the ruling coalition, he said the decision would be taken through consultations at a proper time to decide a personality acceptable to everyone. “But, before it, we’ll give a bath of democracy to the presidency.”