PPP respects PML-N's 'democratic right' of resigning from govt

Islamabad, May 13 : Senior PPP leader and Pakistan's Information Minister Sherry Rehman has said that resigning from the federal coalition government was a democratic right of the PML-Q and PPP respected it.

She said that the PML-N took the decision of walking out of the government was in line pf the pledge they made to public prior to general elections, i.e. restoring deposed judiciary.

"They have taken the decision in line with their pledge to step aside if the judges' issue is not resolved on time. This is their democratic right and we respect this. The cabinet posts left vacant by the PML-N members will not be filled. The PPP is very clear that the course of dialogue will be pursued to resolve the issue amicably," the Daily Times quotd Sherry as saying.

Claiming that PML-N's decision didn't mean break up of the coalition, she said that the PPP has a firm resolve to continue the dialogue with the PML-N.

She said that her party did not believe that the actions of November 3, 2007, were constitutional or legal. She also said that the PPP's resolve to restore the pre-November 3 judiciary should not be doubted. "We have no differences with the PML-N over the restoration of the judiciary. The only point of disagreement is the method of restoration," she said.

Sherry said that the implementation of the resolution would require an amendment to permit more than the 17 judges that the Act currently allowed. "The prime minister cannot increase the number of judges of the Supreme Court from 17 to more than 25 merely by issuing an executive order. It has to be done through an act of parliament," she added.

"Democracy demands patience. The judges' issue will be resolved, but only the right method would be followed," she added.

ANI