Deadline on judges looms in Pakistan

By SADAQAT JAN
Associated Press Writer

With a self-imposed deadline looming, Pakistani leaders had yet to clinch a deal Sunday on reinstating judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf, an issue that has threatened to break up the ruling coalition.

U.S.-backed Musharraf removed dozens of judges and declared emergency rule in November to halt legal challenges to his presidency.

Anti-Musharraf parties won February parliamentary elections, putting together a coalition government that has promised to reinstate the judges _ a move that could increase pressure on Musharraf to resign if the courts revisit his eligibility for office.

But ruling coalition officials have failed to agree on the mechanics of the reinstatement, raising the prospect of an end to their partnership after just six weeks.

After missing an April 30 deadline to resolve the issue, coalition leaders said they were aiming to introduce a parliamentary resolution on the matter by Monday. Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, the leaders of the two main coalition parties, met Friday in London. Negotiators from the parties also met Saturday, but no agreement had come by Sunday morning.

Sharif, a former prime minister ousted by Musharraf in a 1999 coup, has demanded outright restoration of the deposed judges. But Zardari has linked their reinstatement to broader judicial reforms.

Complex legal and political issues, including the status of the judges Musharraf installed after the purge, have proved stumbling blocks to a deal.

Farhatullah Babar, of Zardari´s party, said meetings late Saturday and early Sunday in London made some progress.

"We believe that differences have been narrowed and hope to achieve a consensus soon," he said, insisting, "There is no impasse."

But Sadiqul Farooq, a spokesman for Sharif´s party, said the negotiations have made "no tangible achievement on the question of restoring the judges."

"We cannot reject the impression that the coalition has reached a make or break point," Farooq said.

He said if the deadline is not met, party leaders will meet Monday to consider their future in the coalition, including whether to quit the Cabinet or even shift to the opposition.

Both Babar and Farooq said they had no information on whether there would be further talks between the two parties Sunday. Sharif was scheduled to arrive back in Pakistan early Monday, Farooq said.

Sharif´s party has argued that the government could issue a simple order to bring back the judges after the parliamentary resolution.

Zardari insists judges sworn into the Supreme Court after the purge be retained so they do not oppose the new government in a legal tussle that would cast the country into political turmoil.