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| Nawaz meets Zardari but declines to rejoin coalition |
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Tuesday, September 09, 2008
PML-N Quaid assures president-elect of full support to existing set-up
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: In a rare show of political goodwill, PML-N leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday called on President-elect Asif Ali Zardari and congratulated him on his election to the country’s highest office.
But at the same time Nawaz politely declined Zardari’s request to rejoin the coalition government. Nawaz Sharif along with Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif and a seven-member delegation of the PML-N called on President-elect Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minster Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani at the PM’s House on Monday.
It was their first formal meeting after the PML-N pulled out of the coalition over the issue of the restoration of the deposed judges. Sources said Asif Ali Zardari during the meeting invited Nawaz Sharif to rejoin the coalition government while Nawaz Sharif said he would not do so unless the 17th Amendment was repealed and all the deposed judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, were reinstated.
However, Nawaz Sharif assured Asif Zardari that he would continue to extend his full support to the existing set-up, sources said. The president-elect in return assured Nawaz Sharif that he would not allow any provincial government to be destabilised and would continue to promote reconciliation.
Both the leaders agreed on continuing cooperation with each other in defusing tension in the Punjab. The president-elect said that greater political engagement was the top priority of the PPP-led coalition government. “We want to work together with all the political forces and our aim is to strengthen democracy in the country,” he added.
Nawaz Sharif assured him that his party would extend all-out support to the government for the promotion of democracy in the country. Talking to newsmen outside the Parliament House after the meeting, PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal said Mian Nawaz Sharif congratulated Asif Zardari on winning the presidential poll and said his party stood by the Charter of Democracy. He said the politics of the 80s and the 90s would not be allowed to return.
Replying to a question, Ahsan said though the PML-N was in the opposition now but it did not mean it was outside the system. “The PML-N will support the government on the issues of reinstatement of the deposed judges, implementation of the Charter of Democracy, repeal of Article 58(2) b and the 17th Amendment,” he added.
He said Asif Zardari has assured them that the Punjab government would not be destabilised at any cost. “The national reconciliation process initiated by Benazir Bhutto would continue,” he quoted him as saying.
“We hope the PPP will accept the PML-N mandate in the Punjab like we have accepted its mandate at the Centre.” In reply to another question, Ahsan Iqbal said the PML-N delegation would also attend the oath- taking ceremony at the President House.
He urged the PPP leadership to take notice of the statements being issued to vitiate the political atmosphere in the Punjab. Other members of the delegation who attended the meeting included Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Javed Hashmi, Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Zafar Iqbal Jhagra.
Leader of the House in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Federal Minster for Labour and Manpower Sayed Khursheed Shah, Federal Minster for Information Technology Qamaruzaman Kaira and Federal Minster for Food and Agriculture Nazar Muhammad Gondal were also present during the meeting.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
