'Resignations of PML-N ministers will be accepted soon'
Karachi (PTI): Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday said the resignations of PML-N ministers, who had quit his cabinet, would be accepted "soon" and ruled out setting a deadline for restoring judges dismissed during last year's emergency rule.
Gilani said senior PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had recently met him and asked him to accept the resignations of his party ministers.
"I'll soon accept (the) resignations," he told reporters at the airport here.
Former premier Nawaz Sharif's PML-N pulled out of the ruling coalition on Monday, accusing Pakistan People's Party chief Asif Ali Zardari of reneging on agreements to reinstate the judges who were sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf.
On his government's stand on reinstating the judges, Gilani said it is committed to restoring them to their former positions, but refused to set a deadline for the same.
"Even before taking oath, I released all the judges (from house arrest)... Now we are committed to restore the judges. I have not given any deadline and I think it is not appropriate to give deadlines because it is up to the parliament to take a decision," he said.
The Prime Minister also said he was not privy to the discussions held between the PPP and PML-N over the past few months on the issue of reinstating the judges.
"Politicians have been discussing this issue for four months (but) I did not participate for even a single day," he said.
International