Pak prez's sweeping powers should be scrapped: Sharif

The Pakistan People's Party-led government should scrap the President's sweeping powers and restore the constitution to its position in October 1999 when the military took over the rule in a coup, Opposition PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has said

The Pakistan People's Party-led government should scrap the President's sweeping powers and restore the constitution to its position in October 1999 when the military took over the rule in a coup, Opposition PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has said.

Sharif, who forced the PPP to reinstate judges sacked during the 2007 emergency by leading a massive protest on the issue earlier this week, said the government should also look into a Supreme Court judgement that barred him and his brother Shahbaz Sharif from electoral politics. He said the government should scrap the 17th amendment to the constitution that gives the President sweeping powers to dismiss the Prime Minister and dissolve parliament and restore the constitution to its position in October 1999, when a PML-N government was removed by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

Sharif said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had indicated his willingness to hold discussions on these issues. He also called on all political parties to work together to tackle the problems facing the country. "Pakistan's problems cannot be resolved by any one political party. Rather all parties and the people should unite in this regard," he said.

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