Punjab, Sindh PAs warm up

LAHORE/KARACHI - The ruling coalition in Punjab, in an effort to actualise the decision of its leaders for impeaching President Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, has announced that a resolution in this regard will be presented in the Punjab Assembly on Monday (August 11). Meanwhile, Sindh Assembly will meet on August 12. "We (the Treasury members) will present a resolution seeking resignation from Musharraf and his impeachment on August 11. Now it will be decided who are in his favour or against him. We will also give a chance to the Opposition members for debating the issue," said minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Rana Sana Ullah Khan, while speaking on the Floor of the House on Friday. The PA became noisier at once when senior minister Punjab Raja Riaz Ahmed said President Musharraf should resign by Saturday, as he was conspiring against the democratic system and the parliament, and damaging the country. "He must resign by Saturday, otherwise he will have to face the dire consequences. It is the right time for Musharraf to resign, and this time the Q-League will not be able to defend him. He has to go now, and the Q-Leaguers will become political orphans," he maintained. With this, the PPP and PML-N members started chanting slogans 'Go Musharraf Go'. Opposition's Dr Samia Amjad suggested Raja Riaz to address public gatherings. "If you can carry out impeachment do it, but remember, if Pervez Musharraf would go, he would take something along as well," she warned. Opposition leader Ch Zaheer-ud-Din retorted by saying that the PML-Q would defend President Musharraf, and would show its strength against the proposed resolution in the provincial assembly. "If you are holding knives and arrows, we will stop you and will not let it happen," he maintained, adding that after fruitless Dubai, London, Murree and Islamabad Declarations, there would be another declaration of dissociation. "If you want to bring resolution for impeaching the president, lay another resolution of reverting commodity prices of year 2007," he suggested. The Treasury Members repeatedly hailed the decision made by the PPP and PML-N leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif. "Finally the day has come to defeat Musharraf. This is the story of the rise and fall of a dictator, and the chapter of this dictator is closed for good," they said, while the Opposition members tried their best to retort, but they remained helpless. Earlier, the Opposition staged five-minute token walkout of the Assembly to register its protest against the passage of the resolution against 58-2 (b) on Thursday, which the Treasury claimed to have been passed unanimously. The Opposition made desperate efforts at clearing its position that it would not have allowed the unanimous passage of the resolution, but lost in face of arguments by the Ranas, that is, Deputy Speaker Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan and Rana Sana Ullah Khan. Meanwhile, Sindh CM Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that Sindh Assembly will meet on August 12 to express its 'no-confidence' in President Pervez Musharraf, for which requisition summary will be submitted today to convene the session of assembly. He hoped that the other coalition partners would fully support the 'no confidence' motion against the President as they had supported for in other constitutional and economic matters. Conspicuous by their absence at the press conference were ministers of MQM and ANP who are the coalition partners in the government. Addressing the press conference at CM house on Friday, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, expressed full confidence in party high command and termed the impeachment move against Pervez Musharraf as a right move at the right time. He said that country was standing at the crossroad as the step of impeachment taken by PPP high command after thorough deliberations was in the right directions. He said that the people of Sindh had welcomed the move of impeachment move of President Musharraf, as it would help strengthen democratic institutions in the country. "It is a calculated move and efforts for which great leader Benazir Bhutto had sacrificed her life, so PPP would follow her foot steps," Mr. Shah maintained. He said SC had ruled after the Attorney General promised that the President Pervez Musharraf would take vote of confidence from the newly elected assemblies, adding that the President was obligated to take vote of confidence from National as well provincial assemblies which were part of the presidential electoral college.He said PPP Sindh would chalk out its strategy for the session at the parliamentary party meeting to be held on Saturday and hoped that the coalition partners would also participate in the meeting. He said that the public was being given an impression that there was political uncertainty in the country but after the vote of 'no confidence' against the President, the dramatic situation of uncertainty would end forever. He said that being a Democratic Party, PPP had always remained in the forefront whether it was Kalabagh Dam or NFC Award issue. Answering a question, whether major coalition partner MQM would support the no confidence move, he said that the Core Committee which comprises senior members of the two coalition partners would meet in which the PPP would pursue the MQM members to support the "no confidence' move against president.More over, he demonstrated that Mr. Zaman was out of the country on 15 days leave and efforts were being made to contact him and request him to come back to attend the session.

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