Judges sacked by Pervez Musharraf during emergency will be reinstated on May 12 through a parliamentary resolution, former premier Nawaz Sharif said on Friday, throwing a fresh challenge to the beleaguered Pakistani President.
"I want to tell the nation that all the deposed judges will be restored on May 12," Sharif said after two days of talks with Pakistan People's Party leadership in Dubai on the controversial issue that had threatened rip apart the month-old coalition government of parties hostile to Musharraf.
Renewing his call for Musharraf to quit, PML-N chief Sharif said the decision to restore about 60 judges who were sacked last year had been taken during his talks with Pakistan People's Party Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
"For this, the National Assembly will pass a resolution on May 12. After this, the government will issue a notification on the same day and the deposed judges will be reinstated to their earlier posts," Sharif said.
"The justices will go back to the courts with dignity, respect and honour," the PML-N leader had said earlier after arrival from Dubai.
Sharif also used the occasion to launch a scathing attack on Musharraf, who had deposed him as prime minister during a military coup on October 12, 1999.
"The people's mandate in the February 18 general election is a complete rejection of the person named Pervez Musharraf," he said.
"For eight years, (Musharraf) has repeatedly broken the law, crushed democracy under his foot, destroyed national institutions and gifted the people inflation, unemployment and bloodshed. It will be an insult to the 160 million people of the country to let him remain in the post of President for even one more day," Sharif said.
Sharif also described the imposition of emergency in November last year by Musharraf as 'the blackest day for Pakistan' and as serious as the division of the country.
Asked if he would accept Musharraf if the President gave up some of his powers, Sharif said, "Whatever he does we will not accept him. He is an illegal and unconstitutional president and will remain so as long as he is in the post".
Sharif admitted that his party had reservations about retaining the members of the superior judiciary who had endorsed last year's emergency.
"Zardari said they should be retained. Because we had promised to restore the deposed judges, we accepted his demand," he said
."The PML-N's only condition for supporting the PPP to form government was restoring the judges. We agreed to join the cabinet for this even though we did not want our lawmakers to take oath from the President," he said.
"We want to keep this coalition intact at all costs for the sake of Pakistan and not for the sake of the PML-N. If the coalition breaks up, dictatorship will be strengthened," Sharif added.