PML-N opposes Taseer's appointment

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has expressed reservations over the appointment of what it called a 'controversial person' as new Punjab Governor and asked the coalition partner Pakistan People's Party to clarify its position in this regard.
A senior leader of the PML-N Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan accompanied by Ayaz Sadiq MNA, Pervaiz Rasheed and Captain Safdar (Retd) told newsmen at a news conference here on Thursday that the PML-N was not taken into confidence on the appointment of Salman Taseer, therefore, it appears that Salman Taseer has been appointed as Punjab Governor under a conspiracy in a bid to change the public mandate in the country's biggest through horse trading.
However, he said the PML-N and its workers boldly faced a dictator and will also foil all the conspiracies to be hatched through the new Governor. Answering a question, Nisar ruled out any possibility of Governor's Rule in the province, saying such a move was not possible. Had such an objective was under consideration, the same could be materialised through Khalid Maqbool.
He said: "President Pervez Musharraf is hatching conspiracies against democracy while sitting in Army House and Aiwan-e-Sadr and is bent upon to start horse trading in the Punjab province".
Answering a question, Nisar said after the 17th amendment, although it is discretion of President to appoint a governor of the province but consultation of President with the Federal Government is necessary which is not binding. If there was any consultation between the President and the Federal Government on this appointment, the PML-N was not taken into confidence, he added.
Nisar also requested Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani to accept resignations of the PML-N Ministers so that notification could be issued. He said the PML-N Ministers had resigned on the judges issue for a greater cause which had no parallel in the country's history.
On the other hand, Federal Information Minister Sherry Rehman said that the PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif was taken into confidence on the appointment of Salman Taseer as new Governor Punjab. Asif Ali Zardari had discussed the matter with Shahbaz Sharif, she added.
The former Federal Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in his reaction said that the alliance between the PML-N and PPP no more exists and relations between the two parties would further aggravate in coming days. He also said that the PML-N's reaction on Taseer's appointment shows wedges between the two parties.