LAHORE – Beleaguered Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Monday reached out to the opposition parties – PML-N and PML-Q -in a desperate attempt to shore up his government as clamour mounted for his resignation a day after MQM withdrew its support from the coalition.
With no headway reported yet in moves by PPP leaders including President Asif Ali Zardari to woo back MQM, Mr Gilani visited Lahore and met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to seek their support. Mr Gilani began the day with meeting Shahbaz Sharif at his residence. The meeting, which lasted for nearly two hours, ended without any breakthrough. However, both the leaders exchanged views on various matters with special focus on the prevailing countryÂ’s political situation in the country.
As per sources, Mr Gilani said difference of opinion was the beauty of democracy which had to be strengthened at all costs in the interest of the country. “If any party decides to sit on opposition benches in parliament, it can be persuaded through dialogue to come back.”
Mr Shahbaz told Mr Gilani that the PML-N wanted democracy to flourish and would not let anyone derail it. However, he said any decision on the current political situation would be taken at a party meeting being held in Islamabad today (Tuesday). Shahbaz apprised Gilani of his recent visit to Turkey and conveyed greetings of Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
Before meeting the PM, Shahbaz met PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and discussed the situation.
Nawaz Sharif also held a meeting with senior leaders of the party, including Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, and decided that his party would not join any efforts to “blackmail” the government, sources said. PML-N leaders say that they are cautiously watching the political crisis unfold and have not come to a final decision. “We will neither sink the government nor extend them our shoulder,” said Ahsan Iqbal, a PML-N legislator.
Mr. Iqbal said the crisis was of the government’s own making after two coalition partners MQM, JUI-F decided to withdraw at the federal level. “It seems they have a certain agenda to settle or bargaining to do,” Mr. Iqbal said referring to both departing parties, who remain in coalition with the PPP in the Sindh and Balochistan governments, leading analysts and politicians to speculate that both have left some room to manoeuver. “At the same time, we cannot be seen as bailing out a deeply unpopular government,” said Mr. Iqbal. “We cannot burn our political capital.”
After parleys with Shahbaz Sharif, Mr Gilani visited the Chaudhry brothers at their residence. After the meeting, Gilani told reporters that Shujaat never discussed the idea of replacing the prime minister. He said the PML-Q leadership has assured him that they would strengthen democracy and never support any action which might derail democracy. However, he said Mr Shujaat has told him that he has convened a meeting of PML-Q today (Tuesday) to consult party leaders regarding support to Gilani government.
Shujaat did not say whether his party would seek a no-confidence vote on Gilani, but said it would not try to “blackmail” the government, suggesting it was not after political favours. However, he made it clear that previously PML-Q had supported Gilani unconditionally, “but now the support will be conditional.”
The move to meet Chaudhry brothers assumed significance as the PPP chief and President Zardari had once described the PML-Q as the “qatil (killer) league”, holding the party responsible for the 2007 murder of his wife Benazir Bhutto as it had allegedly failed to provide adequate security to her.
JUI-F: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam sent a delegation of senior leaders led by Abdul Ghafoor Haideri to meet PML-Q chief Shujaat Hussain to ask him not to support the ruling coalition. Sources said the JUI told Shujaat that the government should be allowed to fall as it no longer enjoyed the support of the people. Talking to reporters after the meeting along with Shujaat, Haideri reiterated the JUIÂ’s demand that Gilani should resign as Prime Minister. Haideri also said the cabinet should resign as the government had lost majority in Parliament.