APDM to support Siddqui

ISLAMABAD: All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) on Friday announced to support PML-N presidential candidate Justice (R) Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddqui.
At a joint press conference here at the Parliament House, Senator Prof. Khurhseed Ahmed, Senator Abdur Rahim Mandokhel and Senator Abdul Malik said all the nine Senators of the APDM would cast vote in favour of Siddiqui to "express their solidarity with the restoration of deposed judges".
Prof. Khurshid said the restoration of independent judges was a must and this was the reason that the alliance had boycotted the election 2008.
He said the office of the president needed a non-partisan individual and that Justice Siddiqui fulfilled the criteria.
"Prime Minister can be a representative of a political party but the president must be neutral and a symbol of federation," he said. About the fresh oath to deposed judges, he said this was apparently being done to divide the judiciary.
Abdur Rahim Mandokhel said they had decided to give vote to Justice Siddiqui for the cause of judges' restoration.
Senator Abdul Malik said the APDM parties had botcotted February polls just for the cause of independent judiciary.
He said the government should restore all the deposed judges and end the operation in Balochistan.-APP