The Pakistan Peoples Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s interview to an Indian news agency, saying President Musharraf was a relic of the past.
Zardari is sure to reverse changes made to the constitution
ISLAMABD: The Pakistan Peoples Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s interview to an Indian news agency, saying President Musharraf was a relic of the past standing between the people of Pakistan and democracy and that he was under tremendous pressure to get rid of him, has led to an open confrontation between the government and the presidency, with a furious presidential spokesman declaring on Friday scuttling all backdoor channel contacts with the PPP.
President’s spokesman Major General (retd) Rashid Qureshi said on Friday that the remarks coming from Zardari were both impolite and uncalled for and the presidency has taken strong exception to them. "There is a possibility of President Musharraf holding a meeting with Prime Minister shortly to express his concern over the deteriorating law and order situation as well as the economic crisis that has hit Pakistan in the first two months of the government", the spokesman added.
The spokesman said several foreign countries had agreed to set up nine universities in Pakistan but now they have decided not to come here because of the political uncertainty. However, it appears as if the presidency is trying to pressurise Zardari to dissuade him from moving the proposed package of constitutional amendments.
On the other hand, however, the PPP circles say Zardari's harsh statement and an equally strong reaction from Musharraf actually reflects behind the scene tensions between the two over the proposed constitutional package being prepared by the Zardari House in a bid to curtail the powers of the president and award the same to the prime minister in line with the spirit of the parliamentary democracy.
To be specific, the PPP source claimed, the president was not willing to surrender his powers to dissolve the National Assembly under Article 58(2)(b) of the Constitution and to appoint services chiefs, including the chief of the Army staff. On his part, Musharraf has conveyed his serious reservations over PPP's proposed constitutional package and has made it clear that he would not like to be a "dummy" president.
The PPP's constitutional package recommends the clipping of president's power to the pre-October 12, 1999 position where he would be a ceremonial head of the state. The PPP co-chairperson tells his inner circles that he could not defend Musharraf any more as it would be politically suicidal for him. That's why, Asif Zardari, who had been sounding pragmatic in the past and talking of working relations with the presidency despite the anti-Musharraf mandate, apparently poured out of his heart his hidden venom in his recent interview.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}