Let us solve the issue politically: Zardari

Islamabad, May 24: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari while calling for a political solution has assured, reinstatement of the superior judiciary with aid of legislation but in due course of time.

Addressing the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) meet on ''Media Freedom, Laws and Security'' yesterday he remarked, ''Let us solve the issue politically.'' ''Moments after its installation, the government released the detained deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and his family while the lawyers were struggling for months for this purpose,'' he said adding that legislation would be done soon to reinstate the deposed judges, the APP reported.

Mr Zardari said the draft for constitutional amendment for this purpose was being presented to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani then it would be handed over to PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif. He hoped that the proposed constitutional package would be approved by the Parliament before the Budget session.

He said that the PPP was fully committed to restore the 1973 Constitution in its original form. ''Some friends have advised me to adopt short cut but my legal team does not agree to the idea,'' he added. Mr Zardari stressed that PPP would not let down the people on the issue.

On the issue of media freedom he said that he was committed to media freedom as was the assasinated leader Benazir Bhutto. He said he was bound by the legacy of history and the future of the party. We are committed to the ideals of Benazir Bhutto and the PPP. He said media community was part of the PPP struggle for democracy and the PPP was part of the media struggle for the freedom of expression.

''PPP has always struggled for the restoration of real democracy and it remained in the forefront in the journalists and lawyers struggle,'' he said.

He said that the present government inherited the food crisis and inflation from the previous regime.''People ask me why wheat prices were high, why petroleum prices were high, why their sons were jobless?'' he remarked.

He promised that prices of wheat and other food items would come down and economy of the country would be managed in a better way but the fact should be kept in mind that only 60 days have passed since the new government came into power.

UNI