The main party in Pakistan's shaky coalition government, PPP, on Sunday gave its estranged key partner a draft of proposed constitutional reforms aimed in part at reducing President Pervez Musharraf's powers, officials said. Few specifics have been released about the proposals crafted by Zardari's party. But the party chief has indicated they will include stripping Musharraf of the right to dissolve parliament and appoint military chiefs. On Sunday, Law Minister Farooq Naek, who delivered the proposals to Sharif, head of PML (N), said the package “says that the judges' restoration should be according to the constitution and through a constitutional amendment.” That could prove to be a sticking point. PML(N) declined to comment until it had a chance to thoroughly review the package, but a spokesman said it still believed that the judges could be brought back through a parliamentary resolution followed by an order from the prime minister. “We still believe that restoration of the judiciary should not be part of this constitutional package,” said Sadiqul Farooq. Sharif already withdrew his ministers from the Cabinet over Zardari's insistence that laws have to be changed before the government can reinstate the judges. PPP and PML (N) defeated the president's allies in February elections. Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif were allowed to contest the June 26 by-elections by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Sunday. On Saturday, a two-judge election tribunal had handed down a split ruling on their qualification to contest the elections on an appeal filed by an opponent of the Sharif brothers. Since the appeal could not be conclusively decided till the last day fixed for the purpose by the ECP that was May 31, the decision of the district returning officers (DROs), who had accepted the candidacy papers of the Sharifs, was held in order. Under the Representation of the People Act (PPA) 1976, “an appeal not disposed of within the period specified in sub-section 5” (of this act) “shall be deemed to have been rejected,” ECP Secretary Kanwar Dilshad said in a statement. The lawyers plan a series of protests in June to press their demands – With reports from Agencies __
