Pakistan parties agree to form government
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - February 21, 2008 The two leaders of the Pakistan People's Party of slain former
premier Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Muslim League-N led by
Nawaz Sharif made the announcement at a joint news conference after
meeting in Islamabad.
"We have agreed on a common agenda. We will work together to
form a government together in the center and in the provinces,"
Sharif said.
Zardari said "we intend to stay together and be together in the
parliament ... We intend to strengthen Pakistan together."
Sharif said the two parties had agreed in principle on
restoration of judges purged by Musharraf when he declared
emergency rule late last year - an issue that many see as a
possible source of discord between the parties.
"In principle there's no disagreement on restoration of the
judiciary. We will work on the modalities in parliament," said
Sharif, who has previously demanded the immediate reinstatement of
the detained ex-Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.
The two party leaders did not make explicit whether they would
push for Musharraf's ouster. They won a comfortable majority in
parliament in Monday's election, but fell short of the two-thirds
majority in parliament required for the president's impeachment.
But Sharif reiterated his desire for the U.S.-backed president
to go.
"I think the nation today has given out its verdict and that
verdict is amply clear and it is from every nook and corner of
Pakistan," Sharif said.