August 03, 2008	Sunday	Rajab 30, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Aug 2: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif will meet on Tuesday (Aug 5) to discuss reinstatement of judges and the possible impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf.

According to PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar, the PPP and PML-N leaders will have a luncheon meeting at the former’s Islamabad residence.

Meanwhile, the PML-N has convened a joint meeting of its Central Working Committee (CWC) and central parliamentary party on Monday in Lahore to discuss the agenda for the Nawaz-Zardari meeting and to chalk out a political strategy.

A PML-N spokesman said the meeting would be held at the Model Town residence of Mr Sharif at 4pm.

PML-N spokesman Siddiqul Farooque said that Mr Sharif would present a “roadmap”, approved by the party’s CWC, to Mr Zardari to consolidate the coalition government so that it could complete its tenure.

He said the roadmap would not be valid “for an unlimited period”.

Meanwhile, PML-N sources said that Mr Sharif would ask Mr Zardari to make his position clear on the issues.

“We will ask them (the PPP leadership) to tell us in categorical terms whether they want to restore the judges or not,” said a senior PML-N leader. He said the party was facing much criticism from its voters for supporting the PPP government despite the fact that Mr Zardari had not honoured the promise about the judges’ reinstatement.

Similarly, he said, the party was also under fire from lawyers who wanted the PML-N to decide whether it was with the deposed judges or with Mr Zardari.

The sources said the two parties had agreed for an early meeting between Mr Sharif and Mr Zardari after facing severe criticism from different circles, including political experts and opposition parties who alleged that the leaders of the two parties were not keen to settle what the PML-N had proclaimed to be “make-or-break” issues.

Throughout the month of July, the nation watched frustratingly as leaders and ministers of the two parties frequently proceeded on foreign tours. Both Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif, who had held talks in Dubai and London, also returned to the country a few days ago without reaching a consensus on the key issues.

Several important PML-N leaders are still abroad and it is not clear if they will be able to return to the country before the Aug 5 meeting between the heads of the two parties.

PML-N leaders Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra are vacationing in London while the party’s information secretary Ahsan Iqbal is in the US to attend a conference.