BHURBAN, Pakistan - Pakistan's two main opposition leaders agreed Sunday to form a coalition government, and urged President Pervez Musharraf to convene parliament without delay.
Asif Ali Zardari, widower of assassinated ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, and Nawaz Sharif signed the agreement at a news conference here after a fresh round of coalition talks following last month's general election. Zardari is the de facto leader of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which won the most seats in the February 18 ballot and, along with Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), trounced Musharraf's political allies.
The parties agreed to form a coalition government and to reinstate judges sacked by Musharraf during his emergency rule in November last year, Sharif said, reading from the joint declaration.
"The leadership was of the firm opinion that the coalition partners are ready to form the government and the national and provincial assemblies should be convened immediately," Sharif said.
Zardari said they would stay on the road to democracy. "We feel that the country is on the verge of making history. This was also the desire of Benazir Bhutto and we also intend to stick to road to democracy; we are aware of the problems that the country is facing," Zardari said.
Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on December 27, causing the elections to be delayed.
Musharraf, who faces the prospect of a hostile parliament, Saturday urged the incoming government to leave politics aside and focus on good governance, economic management and peace and stability. "We need a stable government and peace in society," he said, adding, "These are basic requirements to run the country's affairs."
He denied accusations that he was delaying calling the new parliament, and said Friday the new assemblies would be convened within 10 days.
Zardari said they had nothing personal against the embattled Musharraf. "We don't believe in personal agenda... We are hoping that everybody will work together in harmony in strengthening democracy," he said.
But Sharif, a former prime minister, said they considered him to be an unconstitutional president.
"I don't think we have recognised Musharraf's existence, we consider him unconstitutional and illegal president and would not like our sacrifices that we made during last eight years to go down the drain," said Sharif, who was ousted when Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999. Sharif and his party have been outspoken in their calls for him to quit.
However Bhutto's PPP, which is more moderate than Sharif's party, has said it has no immediate plans to seek his removal. Meanwhile, police fired teargas at supporters of deposed supreme court chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as they protested outside his residence in Islamabad, witnesses said.
Lawyers are observing a "black flag week" to press for the reinstatement of Chaudhry, who is under house arrest, and other judges whom Musharraf sacked on November 3. Aitzaz Ahsan, a senior lawyer for Chaudhry, welcomed the announcement that the judges would be reinstated.
"Pervez Musharraf has made the children of the chief justice hostages for the last four months to pressure him to resign," said Ahsan, who is president of the Supreme Court Bar Association. "This is criminal conduct. Keeping someone in illegal confinement to force him to sign documents is an offence," Ahsan told a lawyers' convention in the eastern city of Lahore.
Asif Ali Zardari, widower of assassinated ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, and Nawaz Sharif signed the agreement at a news conference here after a fresh round of coalition talks following last month's general election. Zardari is the de facto leader of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which won the most seats in the February 18 ballot and, along with Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), trounced Musharraf's political allies.
The parties agreed to form a coalition government and to reinstate judges sacked by Musharraf during his emergency rule in November last year, Sharif said, reading from the joint declaration.
"The leadership was of the firm opinion that the coalition partners are ready to form the government and the national and provincial assemblies should be convened immediately," Sharif said.
Zardari said they would stay on the road to democracy. "We feel that the country is on the verge of making history. This was also the desire of Benazir Bhutto and we also intend to stick to road to democracy; we are aware of the problems that the country is facing," Zardari said.
Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on December 27, causing the elections to be delayed.
Musharraf, who faces the prospect of a hostile parliament, Saturday urged the incoming government to leave politics aside and focus on good governance, economic management and peace and stability. "We need a stable government and peace in society," he said, adding, "These are basic requirements to run the country's affairs."
He denied accusations that he was delaying calling the new parliament, and said Friday the new assemblies would be convened within 10 days.
Zardari said they had nothing personal against the embattled Musharraf. "We don't believe in personal agenda... We are hoping that everybody will work together in harmony in strengthening democracy," he said.
But Sharif, a former prime minister, said they considered him to be an unconstitutional president.
"I don't think we have recognised Musharraf's existence, we consider him unconstitutional and illegal president and would not like our sacrifices that we made during last eight years to go down the drain," said Sharif, who was ousted when Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999. Sharif and his party have been outspoken in their calls for him to quit.
However Bhutto's PPP, which is more moderate than Sharif's party, has said it has no immediate plans to seek his removal. Meanwhile, police fired teargas at supporters of deposed supreme court chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as they protested outside his residence in Islamabad, witnesses said.
Lawyers are observing a "black flag week" to press for the reinstatement of Chaudhry, who is under house arrest, and other judges whom Musharraf sacked on November 3. Aitzaz Ahsan, a senior lawyer for Chaudhry, welcomed the announcement that the judges would be reinstated.
"Pervez Musharraf has made the children of the chief justice hostages for the last four months to pressure him to resign," said Ahsan, who is president of the Supreme Court Bar Association. "This is criminal conduct. Keeping someone in illegal confinement to force him to sign documents is an offence," Ahsan told a lawyers' convention in the eastern city of Lahore.
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