"Despite betrayed and letdown, the Pakistan Muslim League (N) will remain cool and go to the end of the world to save its coalition with the Pakistan People's Party in the greater national interest," party spokesman Siddiqul Farooque said on Friday.
Talking to Business Recorder, he said that the people of Pakistan had voted the two mainstream political parties to power, for a change in governance, reinstatement of the pre-November 2 judiciary and restoration of the pre-October 12, 1999 constitution.
He said the nation, as well as the PML (N), was disappointed that despite two deadlines, given by the key coalition partners for the restoration of the deposed judges, they had failed to fulfil the promise. He said the PML (N) leadership was further disappointed over the appointment of Salman Taseer as Punjab Governor as this move had created doubts about the intentions of PPP with regard to the future of Punjab coalition government.
Farooque said that both PPP and PML (N) were in the people's court who are watching, scrutinising and judging actions of the two parties in the light of their mandate given in the February 18 general elections.
He claimed that his party had taken a principled stand and had withdrawn its ministers from the Federal Cabinet as it failed to get the sacked judges restored as promised to the nation, but still it decided to sit on the treasury benches to support the PPP government.
He said PML (N) "is committed" to the 'Charter of Democracy' signed with the PPP leadership in London in 2006 which called for far-reaching constitutional reforms to regain the parliamentary sovereignty and strike a balance between the powers of the prime minister and president, and independence of judiciary and Election Commission.
He admitted that PPP had neither consulted nor taken PML (N) leadership into confidence about the proposed constitutional package. "We will be patient, sincere, straightforward, and accommodating, in our dealings with the PPP as the people want us to forget the past and work together to solve the country's problems," he said. Asked whether PML (N) would opt to sit on the opposition benches after these setbacks to trust, Farooque said: "The people of Pakistan are the best judge, and we will go by their dictates and wishes, as PML (N) has never cheated the nation."
He said that PML (N) leader Nawaz Sharif had publicly assured Asif Zardari that his party PML-N respects PPP mandate in the Centre and would not try to destabilise the Federal government. Therefore, he expected from the PPP leadership that it would also not indulge in horse trading, neither in Punjab nor in other provinces.
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