ISLAMABAD, April 15: Parties in the ruling coalition have reached an understanding on reinstating the deposed judges through a parliamentary resolution within the timeframe given in the Bhurban Declaration.

Sources said Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali Khan on Tuesday finalised a plan for reinstating all the deposed judges.

They said the three leaders had agreed that the issue needed to be settled at the earliest so that the forces opposed to the judges’ reinstatement did not get much time or opportunity to subvert the process.

However, the sources said, the coalition partners were yet to agree on the draft of the resolution to be tabled in the National Assembly and another meeting of the leaders was expected soon.

The coalition leaders agreed that efforts would be made to table the resolution during the current session of the National Assembly, which will continue till April 25.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman who is said to be indisposed could not reach Islamabad from Dera Ismail Khan for the meeting.

Mr Zardari was assisted by PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar, Senator Raza Rabbani and federal ministers Raja Pervez Ashraf, Syed Khurshid Shah and Sherry Rehman. Mr Sharif was accompanied by ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Khawaja Asif and the ANP chief by information secretary Zahid Khan.

Mr Babar said the coalition parties had reiterated the commitment made in the Bhurban Declaration to reinstate the judges. He, however, declined to give details of the mode of implementation of the plan.

When asked when would the 30-day deadline given in the declaration expire, he said he could only say that there were no differences among the parties on any issue, including the deadline.

The PPP spokesman said the coalition leaders had discussed the strategy for the ongoing war against terrorism in the tribal areas and resolved that the government would follow the path of negotiations with people laying down their arms.

They expressed concern over the recent incidents of violence in different cities.

Mr Babar said the coalition parties believed that the incidents in Karachi were part of a conspiracy against the Sindh government and in Lahore and Multan against the new Punjab government.

“The meeting resolved to foil, with the help of the people, all conspiracies being hatched by anti-democratic forces,” he said.

He said the government would bring to justice all the elements responsible for the incidents.

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