Bhurban Accord

Bhurban Accord (also known as the Murree Declaration) is a political agreement signed by two of Pakistan's biggest political powers, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) and was signed by co-chairman of the PPP Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif it was signed on March 8 2008 in the province of Punjab.

Accord details

The official details of the Bhurban Accord had one main aim:
* The deposed judges, sacked under President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf when he imposed emergency rule within the country on November 3 2007, they are to be reinstated within 30 days of the new coalition government. The original date for the judges to be restored was April 30 2008 but after no decision on which basis both the PPP and the PML-N could bring back the judges collapsed, Nawaz Sharif announced a new date the May 12 2008 as the deadlock expired, Nawaz Sharif met with Asif Ali Zardari in London on 11 May 2008 in the final set of discussions onto how to resolve the deadlock, with no effective decision made, upon his return to Islamabad, Mr Sharif announced that his federal ministers would leave the federal government tommorow {13 May 2008} and effectively left the coaliation government. Asif Zaradari has yet to comment on the situation.

Text of the accord

1 - Allied parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) resolve to form a coalition government for giving a practical shape to the mandate, which was given to the democratic forces by the people of Pakistan on February 18, 2008.

2 - This has been decided in today’s summit between the PPP and the PML (N) that the deposed judges would be restored, on the position as they were on November 2, 2007, within 30 days of the formation of the federal government through a parliamentary resolution.

3 - The parties agreed that all allied parties would fully support the candidate for the position of the prime minister, nominated by the PPP. The PML (N) suggested that the candidate for prime minister should be such person who can take ahead the common agenda of the allied parties.

4 - The parties agreed that the speaker and the deputy speaker of the national assembly would be from the PPP while the speaker and the deputy speaker of the Punjab assembly would be from the PML (N).

5 - Both the parties agreed that the PML (N) would be a part of the federal government while the PPP would be a part of the Punjab government.

6 - This is the solid opinion of the leaderships of both the parties that the allied parties are ready for forming the governments and the sessions of the national and provincial assemblies be summoned immediately.

2008 election results, and coalition possibility

The idea of coalition government came when the PPP and the PML-N won the biggest seats in the 300-seat Parliament of Pakistan, the elections were set to be held on January 8 2008 but were postponed until February 18 2008 due to the assassination of former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto, after the elections were conducted in a peaceful manner, within the country of Pakistan, and the overall results showed that the PPP had won 93 seats with the PML-N winning 70 seats, and in total winning a number of 163 seats, and has the majority of the seats. After wide-spread speculation of the two parties forming a coalition government, it was finally announced on February 30 2008, 18 days after the elections, that both parties were discussing a coalition government. Before the assassination of Ms Bhutto, she and Nawaz Sharif were discussing a coalition if they won the elections that were held supposed to be in on January 8 but no official agreement was reached. For the first time speaking after the accord was signed, Pervez Musharraf said that his government should keep personal vandettas aside, and keep politics aside, and had no problem working with a government that the people had elected.

External links

* [http://thenews.jang.com.pk/updates.asp?id=39768 Six-point Murree Declaration --- Text of the summit declaration]
* [http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10854813 The lion lies down with the lamb]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/world/asia/10pstan.html?em&ex=1205294400&en=4fc4e65d844959c2&ei=5087%0A Pakistan Rivals Join to Fight Musharraf]