PPP, PML-N, ANP join hands; claim 2/3rds majority

JOINING HANDS: Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari have come together following the polls.

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New Delhi: The top three political parties in Pakistan - the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) and the secular Awami National Party (ANP) joined hands on Wednesday.

And their message to President Pervez Musharraf was clear - go now. They also demanded that the National Assembly be convened immediately.

On Wednesday, in a meeting at Islamabad's Marriott Hotel, Pakistan's two biggest political parties, who have been rivals until fairly recently, vowed to banish the army from politics.

"We are not prepared to wait for a single more day. As soon as the elections result is notified, the National Assembly will be convened the very next day," PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif said.

Sharif even claimed his party together with the PPP and the ANP had a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, which was sufficient to impeach President Musharraf.

PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari was, however, more circumspect preferring to look at the long term.

"Pakistan stands on the verge of disaster but also at the same time let me give hope that it also stands on the verge of opportunities," Zardari said.

And there was some good news for Zardari earlier in the day. Pakistan's Supreme Court vacated the stay order on the National Reconciliation Ordinance letting him off the hook on a slew of corruption cases.

At the end of the day's confabulations there was consensus on the need to end constitutional anomalies including restoring the judiciary that Musharraf had suspended and later sacked.

But all that will have to wait until the Election Commission formally notifies the poll results on March 1 followed by Independents being asked to declare themselves for one or the other party.

Then the 70 reserved seats will be allotted proportionately before the Assembly is convened and formation of the new government will be the next step.

Editor of Friday Times Najam Sethi spoke to CNN-IBN on the possible deal between Zardari and President Musharraf.

"Mr Sharif and Zardari seem to have some common short-term tactical objectives but their long-term strategic goals are very different. They are sitting together and sending different messages all around. Mr Zardari is also in touch with the President behind the scenes. Sharif wants to get rid of the President and restore the judiciary. Zardari wants to reduce the power of the president but he wants to run the government for the next five years. Mr Sharif is too impatient to wait for another five years," Sethi said.