Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has categorically dismissed any possibility to rejoin the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan People's Party. Talking to newsmen here on Friday, the PML-N leader Khawaja Asif said there was no question of the party returning to the coalition. It was decided in the party meeting chaired by Nawaz Sharif not to rejoin the Pakistan People's Party-led coalition government.
Asif said they had realised during five months in the ruling coalition that the alliance with the PPP was not possible any more. He challenged the PPP that it could try but would never succeed in toppling PML-N government in Punjab. To a question about Governor Punjab, he said that he was a political orphan.
Asif alleged that the PPP government had created a rift among the lawyers community by giving some of them Rs 50 million bribe, which was, to a great extend, responsible for destroying judges' restoration movement.
Meanwhile, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Secretary General of PML-N said that they had asked the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) to withdraw its presidential candidate Mushahid Hussain Syed in favour of former Justice Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui.
"If the PML-Q withdraws its presidential candidate, it will have better relationship with PML-N, having positive impact on socio economic position of Pakistan," he added. He said that he knew that the PML-Q was considering withdrawing its candidate in favour of Justice Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui. There was possibility that Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui might become a consensus presidential candidate of the two leagues.
Jhagra said Justice Siddiqui was a competent candidate for the slot of "The President" as he was a non-controversial person and had no affiliation with any political party. Justice Siddiqui possessed high respect among people as he refused to take oath under first PCO of Musharraf regime and preferred to resign. Being a well-known and well-respected personality, Justice Siddiqui could attain merit votes of the people having conscience alive, he added.
PML-N Secretary General dispelled the impression regarding the withdrawal of Justice Siddiqui from presidential elections, saying that PML-N had fielded the candidate as per basic spirit of the Charter of Democracy and there was no chance of his withdrawal. "We are sure that Justice Siddiqui would win the election", he added. Talking to reporters, senior PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that the decision to quit the coalition by PML-N was taken with heavy heart. "The PPP made commitments to reinstate the deposed judges on pre-November 3, 2007 position, impeachment and ousting of the dictator and repealing of 17th Amendment which was meant only to facilitate the dictator, but they have failed to keep their words, which forced us to part the ways", he said.
He said that the PML-N joined hands with PPP to bail out country from the crisis, which was not merely limited to the constitutional and judicial issues. Price hikes, worsening law and order situation, unemployment and malfunctioning of the state machinery were the problems that people of Pakistan were facing, he added.
He rejected the impression regarding the withdrawal of Justice Siddiqui from presidential election saying that PML-N would campaign for him on the basis of merit and his eligibility as a favourite candidate. "We will welcome every party and individual who supports Justice Siddiqui," he added. He said that PML-N was in process of dialogue with different political forces and the option of dialogue would not be closed.