Shahbaz meets Gilani

Former Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif called on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday night and discussed current political situation with him. Highly reliable sources confided to theBusiness Recorder that Shahbaz Sharif had flown to Islamabad on Friday night on a special plane at 11:25 p.m. and returned to Lahore at 3:25 in the morning.
According to sources, the meeting continued for about two hours when it was made clear to him that the issue of disqualification would not be incorporated in the upcoming Constitutional package in the presence of demand for restoration of the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
The PML-N head Nawaz Sharif, however, denied any such meeting during his Saturday interaction with Editors and column writers of newspapers. Reports regarding the meeting hit the TV screens Friday evening when an emergent press conference of Shahbaz Sharif was cancelled at his Raiwind residence at the eleventh hour.
His personal staff excused the media men by whispering that he had to rush to Islamabad to meet the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. It was followed by a string of rumours, suggesting that a plane was ready at the Allama Iqbal International airport to take him to Islamabad. The PML-N kept on rejecting any such development until late in the evening.
Interestingly, the airport sources had also confirmed the presence of a special plane that landed at 5:10 p.m. on Friday, followed by its departure at 11:25 p.m. and arrival at 3:25 a.m. The Friday night meeting between Sharif and Gilani held in an intense political deadlock amid high rumours about removal of Governor Punjab Salman Taseer. However, the sources believe that situation has started returning to normal.
The sources said Sharifs are due to respond the government on Saturday night. When asked what response they are likely to make, the sources said: "It is not easy to guess due to an unpredictable behaviour of Sharifs, particularly Nawaz Sharif." They added in the same breath that Shehbaz Sharif lacks the courage to deviate from Nawaz Sharifs approach therefore chances of a reconciliation before the long march and sit-in at Constitutional Avenue are bleak.
Meanwhile, the sources said, the provincial assembly session is likely to be convened early next week with a possibility of lifting of Governors Rule by the end of same week. However, talking to a private TV channel late Saturday night Shahbaz Sharif denied of meeting Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.