LAHORE, March 23: Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif has reiterated his offer to cooperate with the PPP government if it implements the Charter of Democracy.

“I’ve told Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani that I’m with the government if it implements the charter,” sources quoted Mr Sharif as saying at the general council meeting of his party held on Monday.

He said the PML-N was ready to cooperate for bringing about a real change and steering the country out of the current crisiss.

He said the Prime Minister Gilani had brought a message of reconciliation and he told him he had no dispute with President Asif Zardari and only wanted him to fulfil his promises.

Mr Sharif said he supported the government’s initiative to hold talks with India on Kashmir.

He said that the events of March 16 were “nothing short of a revolution” in the country’s history when people decided on the street what could not be decided in parliament.

He said he was stunned to see thousands of people joining the march. “I saw people carrying children running along my vehicle.”

Answering a question about his decision to violate the house arrest orders, he said if he had accepted the restrictions, no-one else would have dared to come out.

He said he had decided to join the long march despite risks, a reference to reports of suicide attack threats. He rejected complaints of the Jamaat-i-Islami and Tehrik-i-Insaaf that they were not consulted before the march was called off and said that leaders of all political parties and lawyers had been consulted before the march was stopped.

Earlier, the general council adopted a 14-point declaration envisaging steps for safeguarding national integrity and sovereignty as envisaged in the Charter of Democracy and overcoming political, economic, judicial and social challenges facing the country.

It called for constitutional amendments on matters relating to supremacy of parliament, a transparent system for appointment of judges of superior courts and the setting up of an independent, autonomous and impartial Election Commission.

The declaration calls for independence of the media, allowing it access to information, setting up an autonomous and impartial National Ehtesab Commission, an effective system to curb violations of human and women’s rights.

It stressed the need for a comprehensive strategy to curb terrorism and extremism and called for giving preference to dialogue and development over the use of force in the NWFP, Fata and Balochistan.

The declaration also calls for doing away with the ‘Concurrent List’ in the Constitution, announcing a new National Finance Commission award, preparing a national strategy to control prices and end unemployment and load-shedding.

The council urged the government to promote simple living by curtailing lavish spendings by ruling classes.

The PML-N also called for the holding party-based elections for local bodies, granting a special status to the Northern Areas and empowering the Northern Areas’ Council.

Stressing the need for peaceful relations with India and Afghanistan, the declaration called for settling the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people.
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