July 01, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 26, 1429

LAHORE, June 30: The PML-N ratcheted up pressure for reinstatement of the deposed judges on Monday by calling upon the PPP not to link the reinstatement to the constitutional package because such a course would not only amount to recognising the “unconstitutional steps” taken by President Musharraf on Nov 3 but would also delay the matter.

Party’s secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said that if the demand was not met, the PML-N could decide to sit on opposition benches in the National Assembly.

However, he hastened to add that his party would continue to extend support to the PPP on a ‘case-to-case’ basis to avoid what he termed derailment of the democratic process.

Mr Jhagra said the deposed judges could be reinstated to work within no time with a simple resolution by the National Assembly, as agreed upon in the Murree Declaration.

He pointed out that it would take the government a long time to evolve a consensus on the package as parties had differing views on a number of issues incorporated in the document.

“We are not very enthusiastic about the constitutional package. We have not yet finalised our recommendations”.

The PML-N leader said it was regrettable that the PPP-led federal government had made no progress on judges’ issue although both the parties had initially set a 30-day deadline for the purpose.

Mr Jhagra said his party had given no deadline to the PPP to resolve the judges’ issue, but the PML-N would like the matter to be settled as soon as possible.

In a related development, other PML-N leaders, including parliamentary leader Chaudhry Nisar and spokesman Siddique Al Farooque, severely criticised the government for launching an operation in Khyber Agency without taking them into confidence or even informing them about the plan.

The PML-N leaders said that such actions of far-reaching consequences should not have been taken without consulting a key coalition partner.