Tie-up with Sharif possible: Gilani

Vowing to take all parties on board for national reconciliation, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani today said the possibility of forging a fresh alliance between the ruling PPP and Nawaz Sharif's PML-N cannot be ruled out.

Vowing to take all parties on board for national reconciliation, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani said the possibility of forging a fresh alliance between the ruling Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) and Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N cannot be ruled out.

HT Image

A day after a major political crisis was defused with the government agreeing to meet Sharif’s demands including on reinstatement of sacked judges, Gilani said he was against the Governor’s Rule in Punjab province and “will end it as soon as possible.”

The government intended to take all political parties on board in its efforts for national reconciliation, he told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony at a school here.

The imposition of Governor’s Rule in Punjab, where PML-N was in power, by President Asif Ali Zardari after Supreme Court barred Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif from contesting polls and holding public offices had sparked a political crisis.

Asked about the prospects of the PPP forging a fresh alliance with the PML-N at the centre, Gilani said today that politics was a day-to-day affair and such a possibility could not be ruled out.

Gilani said the review petition against the apex court ruling barring Sharif brothers from electoral politics would be filed after the government receives a detailed verdict. The court has so far issued only a short order.

The Premier said the government would implement the Charter of Democracy signed by slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in its “true letter and spirit.” Gilani also appreciated Sharif’s positive response to the policy of reconciliation.

He said the government had amicably resolved the issue of the judiciary’s independence in accordance with Benazir Bhutto’s vision and Zardari’s promise.