Judiciary, army not interfering in parliament affairs

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, said that all the institutions were working under their constitutional ambit.

No institution, including the judiciary and army, was interfering in the constitutional ambit of any other institution, he said while announcing the declaration at the end of the 17th Speakers Conference.

The three-day conference was attended by the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate, speakers and deputy speakers of provincial assemblies and speakers of legislative assemblies of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Sadiq said there was a consensus among all the speakers that they would neither support the dictatorship nor become part of suspension of the Constitution in future.The National Assembly speaker said the legislation process will be made more effective to protect the rights of women, children and minorities.

He said the Parliament House will be converted to solar system by the end of the current year and will become the first green parliament in the world.He said the speakers conference had demanded of the federal government and all the provincial governments to ask ministers to give a policy statement in the National Assembly before addressing a news conference to enhance the image of the House.

He said the speakers conference also reviewed the idea of establishing a separate TV channel of parliament.The Islamabad Declaration issued after the conference says parliament will be made a sovereign institution in accordance with the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. “The Quaid has declared that parliament is a sovereign body,” the Islamabad Declaration stated.

Glowing tributes were paid to those who sacrificed their lives for strengthening the democracy in the country. The declaration also paid rich tributes to members of the armed forces, civil institutions and politicians who have embraced martyrdom in terrorism related incidents and sectarian violence across the country.

Nawaz, Nisar discuss peace talks, Musharraf affairs

 

 

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had an important and extensive meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here at the Prime Minister’s House on Monday.
The minister had to skip the National Assembly session for the meeting, and it is understood that the two leaders have evolved a strategy to deal with the upcoming developments with regard to dialogue with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

The leaders had discussions pertaining to the next round of dialogue with Taliban in the wake of so-called ceasefire expiry from today (Tuesday). It was a scheduled meeting, and the Prime Minister’s Special Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad was also took part in the discussions. Fawad is also an important member of the government committee that ventured direct talks with Talban in North Waziristan last month.

Well placed sources of the Prime Minister’s House told The News here on Monday evening that Chaudhry Nisar Ali had a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The primary subject of the meeting was to chalk out a strategy regarding talks with Taliban, but Pervez Musharraf case also came under discussion as part of the current issue. The sources indicated that the prime minister is determined to follow the verdicts of the judiciary in the case of Musharraf. It is unlikely that the government would grant him permission to leave the country without obtaining certain assurances, the sources said. It is expected that Prime Minister Nawaz will take the matter in the federal cabinet if the government will have to consider any relaxation for the retired General.

Meanwhile, the government is ascertaining the health condition of Pervez Musharraf’s ailing mother through diplomatic channels. The report is likely to reach Islamabad in the wee hours of Tuesday. It will also help in reaching conclusion for the government, the sources said.

A meeting between the civil and military leadership will be held in two days here in Islamabad where the issue of talks with Taliban would be discussed. Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif will also attend the meeting. The meeting would be concentrating exclusively on the dialogue with Taliban, the sources said.