'Gilani may end political crisis through series of actions'

Facing intense political opposition, Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani may end the impasse in the country through a series of actions, including the reinstatement of justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, which has Army's backing.

Gilani was preparing for these "actions" following another one-on-one meeting with chief of Army staff general Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at the PM House yesterday, a report in The News newspaper said.
 
The military and political leadership shared grave concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the wake of the call for the long march and sit-in by the lawyers, civil society and opposition politicians, the newspaper said quoting two political sources.

The report said that Gilani in his push for a grand political reconciliation in the country is devising a strategy that can make way to reverse governor's rule in the Punjab; return of the PML-N-led government there and constitutional action to undo the Supreme Court disqualifications of Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif.
 
The strategy, most importantly, also includes the reinstatement of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other judges before the Supreme Court chief justice is appointed under the procedure adopted in the Charter of Democracy signed
by slain former premier Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in London in 2007.

The report said that instead of exploiting current political bickering for another military-backed takeover, the Pakistan Army is backing the prime minister's initiative for reconciliation.
 
Gilani is bitter that though he didn't approve the idea of governor's rule in Punjab, the presidential proclamation for governor's rule mentioned him as advising the president for this action, the report said quoting sources.
 
The premier had laid the foundation for a healthy relationship between PPP and PML-N when he had invited Shahbaz Sharif for about a three-hour meeting at the PM House on February 23.
 
The Supreme Court judgment that came within two days of his historic meeting smashed the spirit of coexistence between the two main political parties, but the prime minister is undeterred and he wants to move forward, the report said.
 
Interestingly, Gilani in his preparations to unveil an action plan is hoping that president Asif Ali Zardari would support his moves and the PPP parliamentarians seeing survival of democracy and continued PPP-led government in the Centre would back him in the Parliament.
 
The premier is confident that even if he loses support of some bigwigs in the PPP, his position as the prime minister is not threatened as opposition parliamentarians would quickly make up for the members he may lose because of a limited division in the party.