August 05, 2008	Tuesday	Sha'aban 2, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: The Pakistan People’s Party is considering to ask President Pervez Musharraf to seek a vote of confidence from the National Assembly, in what is seen here as an effort to placate the Pakistan Muslim League-N to ensure continuation of the ruling coalition.

PPP sources said on Monday the plan might be discussed when PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari met PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday to thrash out the future of the four-month-old coalition which is divided over the issue of restoration of the deposed judges and impeachment of the president.

The sources said the PPP move was designed to provide a respectable wayout for the president, instead of impeaching him, and save the coalition from falling apart. This will also clear the way for restoration of the judges through a fresh oath to be administered by a new democratically-elected president.

President Musharraf’s attorneys, Malik Qayyum and Sharifuddin Pirzada, had given an assurance to the Supreme Court last year that he would get a fresh vote of confidence from new parliament after the 2008 elections. On the basis of the assurance, the apex court had allowed the announcement of presidential election results.

Mr Zardari on Monday held consultations with his close aides, including some federal ministers, and finalised the agenda for his crucial meeting with Mr Sharif.

PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Dawn that Mr Zardari had convened the meeting at his residence to discuss a wide range of issues, including war on terror, poverty and rising inflation, law and order, status of coalition partners, the current debate on impeachment of President Musharraf, restoration of sacked judges and other issues that might be raised during the luncheon meeting with Mr Sharif.

The sources said the PPP leadership had decided to stick to its stance that the deposed judges would have to take a fresh oath if they wanted to get themselves restored to the position of Nov 3, 2007.

But the PPP might try to placate the PML-N on the issue of president’s impeachment and suggest a timeframe for it.The PPP is reported to have finalised its own ‘roadmap’ to be handed over to Mr Sharif in order to consolidate the coalition.

According to the sources, the PPP leaders also discussed a line of action to be followed in the event of PML-N deciding to withdraw support for the coalition government and sit in the opposition.

Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Prime Minister’s Adviser Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo were specially invited to the meeting to discuss the likely situation in Punjab in case of withdrawal of PML-N’s support.Federal ministers Syed Naveed Qamar, Farooq Naek, Najamuddin Khan, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Sherry Rehman, Hina Rabbani Khar, Syed Khursheed Shah, Humayun Kurd, Nazar Gondal and Raja Pervez Ashraf, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik, National Reconstruction Bureau chairman Dr Asim, PPP secretary general Jahangir Badar, MNAs Fauzia Habib and Rukhsana Bangash and Mr Babar attended the meeting.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was not invited, but he was later briefed by some of the participants on the decisions taken at the meeting.

Unlike Mr Sharif, who discussed his party’s strategy for the meeting with Mr Zardari in a joint session of the Central Working Committee and parliamentary group, the PPP co-chairman preferred to consult only his close aides. Some PPP members were of the view that the party should have convened a meeting of its Central Executive Committee to finalise its line of action.

According to a statement issued by Mr Babar, the meeting took stock of political situation and issues facing the people and the coalition government. Without elaborating, he said the meeting refined the party’s political response to the issues to be placed before the PML-N leadership.

It was pointed out that the war on terror had turned into a war for the survival of Pakistan. The participants stressed that it had become imperative to take effective and bold measures to contain the menace which was threatening the social and political fabric of the country.

The meeting reiterated the cardinal principles of the coalition government’s fight against militancy and terrorism. It expressed the view that the unveiling of a sort of Marshall Plan for Fata had become critical for waging successfully the war for Pakistan’s survival.