ISLAMABAD, SEPT 18: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's plan to impose Shariat rule in the country received a rude shock when a leading Member of Parliament from his party tendered his resignation and said that he had formed an ``anti-Shariat Bill group,'' within the ruling PML-N party.While Sharif, who is also president of the PML-N, returned the resignation on Friday, the incident may have set off a revolt within the ruling party over the proposed 15 Amendment Bill, under which the Prime Minister wants to make the Quran and Sunnah the supreme law of Pakistan.Khurshid Kasuri, a member of the ruling party from Punjab, tendered his resignation when the Prime Minister chided him for speaking against the proposed Bill at a meeting of the ruling party in Islamabad. Kasuri replied that it was his democratic right to consult with colleagues.This prompted Sharif to remark that if he was unhappy with the party stand, he should resign. After Sharif's remarks, Kasuri tendered his resignation and left theroom where the meeting was taking place. After Kasuri's departure, there was confusion in the room as MPs started shouting against the Prime Minister's remarks and many got up and rushed after Kasuri.Talking to journalists after the meeting, the Pakistan Prime Minister said that he would not hold a referendum on the 15th amendment and would instead try and reach a consensus on the issue in Parliament. This consensus seemed hard to come, as most parties are opposed to the Bill, which proposes to give more powers to the Prime Minister and paves the way for a more powerful Central government with powers to promulgate Islamic laws.Behind the scenes discussions by MPs of the ruling party showed that there were a number of them opposed to the Prime Minister's proposed introduction of Islamic laws. The Pakistan Prime Minister asked religious parties for their support to move ahead with the Bill but was met with a lukewarm response since most party leaders say that Sharif's intentions ``are not noble''. Theleader of the right wing JUI-S party, Maulana Sami Ul Haq, said, ``Sharif is giving us a lollipop. We are not interested''.Already, most Opposition parties, including the Pakistan Peoples' Party headed by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto have expressed opposition to the proposed legislation. The combined opposition will launch a series of protests against the government soon. This is expected to be a major headache for the Prime Minister, who may even have to postpone his visit to address the UN General Assembly at New York in the coming week if the political situation at home is heated up. Sharif did not attend the NAM Summit last month in South Africa because of political problems at home.
