PML-N contestants pledge to restore judges
Bureau Report

LAHORE—Leader of the PML-N, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has paid tribute and salutations to all those judges including Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary who did not take oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO).
He expressed these views during the oath taking ceremony of the PML-N candidates for the National and Provincial constitutes here on Wednesday. He said the oath taking ceremony is of significant importance due to the fact that this was being celebrated as ‘Covenant Day’ in which candidates and renowned figures throughout Pakistan, contesting election on PML-N tickets gathered here. “And all these members will take oath that after being elected as MNA or MPA their top priority will be the reinstatement of the ousted judges who were removed on 3rd November through an unconstitutional order”, he said. They will also take oath to continued struggle for the elimination of role of army in politics forever, and to restore the 1973 constitution in its original form and complete independence of judiciary, he added. Mian Nawaz Sharif further said that reinstatement of the ousted judges was not an administrative issue but was rather a matter of stability and integrity of Pakistan.
“If we do not heed to this issue and rather became a part of the Political game for power then it will be clearly betrayal to the entire nation”, he said. While citing the 12th October 1999 army take over, he said that Justice Saeed uz Zaman Siddiqi was summoned at the Army House before the hearing on the petition filed by Syed Zafar Ali Shah, and threatened with dire consequences if he failed to deliver; however, Chief Justice Saeed uz Zaman Siddiqi did not bow before the government.
The government had thence constituted new bench of its own choice and removed six judges including Saeed uz Zaman Siddiqi. Nawaz Sharif further said that although article 232 of the constitution gives Musharraf the authority to promulgate emergency but it is totally against the law to kept the constitution in abeyance and promulgation of PCO and making amendments in the constitution. Former Chief Minister Punjab and President PML-Q Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said that talks with Nawaz Sharif could only be held in case of his triple repentance on supporting Asif Zardari and pledges not to run away from the country.
Talking to journalists at his residence, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said that PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif is insulting himself by taking oath from candidates of National and Provincial assemblies and termed it an act of coward ness adding that act of Nawaz Sharif was unconstitutional and tantamount to contempt of court, of which, the Election Commission should take notice of it.
He appealed to the voters not to cast their votes in favour of PML-N, as it would benefit Asif Ali Zardari indirectly. The former CM Punjab expressed the hope that PML-Q would win the 110 seats of Punjab assembly and will be in position to form the Government in centre. He demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan to take immediate notice of the attacks on the candidates of PML-Q in Sindh.