ISLAMABAD, April 9: The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) on Monday proposed formation of a joint action committee of opposition parties and civil society organisations for better coordination in movement for the “independence of judiciary.”

Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee, PML-N secretary-general Zafar Iqbal Jhagra said that they would soon contact leaders of opposition parties for formation of the joint action committee.

He expressed the hope that the committee would be formed before April 13.

Mr Jhagra said that party leader Nawaz Sharif had proposed the formation of the action committee in his telephonic address to members of the CWC who later endorsed it.

He said that the joint action committee would coordinate with lawyers and bars to strengthen their struggle for the independence of judiciary.

Mr Jhagra said the opposition would participate in protest demonstration outside the Supreme Court with full force on April 13, when Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry would appear before the Supreme Judicial Council.

He said that the party had also decided to form a task force to mobilise party activists against the government.

He said that the PML-N would also form a legal aid committee to provide legal assistance to leaders and activists who were being arrested by the government in an effort to foil the opposition’s plan to hold agitation.

Mr Jhagra said there was no writ of the government in any part of the country.

He said that the recent incident of Lal Masjid and Madressah Hafsa had proved that the regime even had failed to set up its writ in the capital city.

Replying to a question, he said that the PML-N could never think of holding talks with the rulers.

He expressed the hope that the exiled leadership would be back in the country within days and not months.

Earlier, speaking by telephone from Dubai in the CWC meeting, Mr Sharif ruled out the possibility of any deal with the regime.

“In the present circumstances, whoever will join hands with the military dictatorship or give it some kind of a relaxation or do a deal will face humiliation,” he said.

Mr Sharif said that he had already struck a deal with 160 million people of Pakistan.

He said that there would be rule of ballot and not bullet in the country.

PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal and joint secretary Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal were also present on the occasion.

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