Former Pakistan prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said he would meet Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and leaders of other democratic forces soon to discuss the formation of a new government, hours after the two opposition parties emerged as the largest groups in Pakistan's parliamentary polls.
"I invite everyone to sit together and rid Pakistan of dictatorship for all time," Sharif said. PML-N bagged 65 seats and became the second largest party after PPP, which bagged 85 seats out of 248 results announced so far.
"We will cooperate with (all democratic forces) and try to seek their cooperation. To accomplish this democratic agenda, all of us must unite on one common platform," he said.
Sharif said he will meet Zardari on Thursday, while insisting that the deposed members of the superior judiciary should be reinstated so that they can decide on the legality of Pervez Musharraf's re-election as President in October 2007.
"I have already discussed this matter with Asif Zardari and I told him that Pakistan's judiciary's independence is very strongly linked with its restoration. It is dependent on the restoration of the judiciary. Unless the judges are restored, the judiciary cannot attain any independence," he said.
The two-time prime minister, who was deposed by Musharraf in a bloodless coup in 1999, said the PML-N did not accept the emergency imposed by the President in 2007 or the sacking of the judges who had not endorsed the measure.
"The steps taken by Musharraf during the emergency will have to be rolled back," he asserted.
Musharraf sacked nearly 60 members of the superior judiciary during the emergency, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry and other judges who were hearing challenges to his re-election.
Zardari, however, has committed himself only to the independence of the judiciary and this remains a major point of difference between the PML-N and the PPP.
Sharif also said he would get in touch with Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and leaders of other opposition parties to discuss government formation.
The party will work with all democratic forces to restore democracy and rule of law, supremacy of the Constitution, sovereignty of the parliament and independence of judiciary, he said.
Sharif also asked the military to 'abandon its role in politics'. He said, "I expect the army to act according to the law".
Asked if the PML-N will work with other opposition parties to impeach Musharraf, Sharif said, "Well I think once the judiciary is restored, that judiciary will then have to give judgement on the eligibility of Musharraf's candidature".
Sharif has repeatedly said the PML-N will reinstate the deposed judges. All candidates of the party were administered a pledge before the polls that committed them to working for the reinstatement of the judges.
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