Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) finally ended its three-year long coalition with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in Punjab what seems to be the end of the co-operation between the two major political forces pledged under Charter of Democracy (CoD) signed by PML-N's Chief Nawaz Sharif and PPP's slain chairperson Benazir Bhutto on May 14, 2006 in exile.
"We have reached the decision that paths of the PPP and PML-N are separate from today," announced PML-N's Chief Nawaz Sharif following party's crucial meeting chaired by him here at Punjab House, saying that none of the 10-point reform agenda forwarded by him has been implemented by the government.
"I think we can't be part of the game further and we have been compelled to say goodbye to PPP," he said, adding that PPP and PML-N are now two different parties in Punjab and will work on separate manifestos. He said that 295 out of 300 members of the PML-N favoured the decision to part ways with the PPP in Punjab. He, however, did not clarify despite many questions about the mechanism to remove the PPP ministers from provincial cabinet and said that perhaps Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif will dissolve the cabinet and after that a new cabinet will be reconstituted.
The decision came following the expiry of 45-day deadline given by PML-N to implement a 10-point reform agenda the other day, which many think is also the end of the CoD under which the two political parties were in co-operation with each other.
However, Sharif said that they will not take any step to trigger a civil war-like situation in the country, adding that CoD was not signed to remain in coalition. Referring to the past agreements between the two parties, he lashed out at President Zardari for breaching the accords, adding that the PML-N reluctantly joined coalition in the center and when Bhurban accord was signed in 2009 the party placed two conditions to restore deposed judges and implement the CoD. But, he lamented that only a month had passed when they backed off from that agreement.
Sharif also accused President Zardari of providing indemnity to Pervez Musharraf for his unconstitutional steps of November 03, 2007, saying that what had shocked him a lot was that "President Zardari asked me that he wants to give indemnity to Pervez Musharraf and give legal cover to the steps he had taken on November 03, 2009", but he said that he replied, "It will be better to quit politics" rather to provide indemnity to a person who had sold sovereignty of the country. Sharif also alleged that the government did not accept the independent judiciary with an open heart. To a question regarding "unification bloc", he said that the bloc was not created by PML-N while the group comprising 47 MPAs has rather rejoined their parent party, "who were kidnapped by Musharraf." He also announced that the PML-N will also welcome all those who left the party after October 12, 1999 provided they did not act against the party. To another question why PML-N's not demanding fresh election, he said that a demand for mid-term polls was not unconstitutional.
Earlier, in the meeting Ishaq Dar, chairman of the dialogue committee constituted for talks with the government, briefed the participants of the meeting on the progress on implementation on the agenda. Sources said that the meeting was also attended by many members belonging to Unification Bloc in Punjab provincial assembly besides central and provincial leadership of the PML-N, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and others. Nawaz said that corruption was being protected and the corrupt elements were being posted on important way while record loans have been borrowed in three years.
He further said that whether it was the judges' issue, the issue of the 18th and 19th Amendments, the PML-N went along with the government at the time when many of its coalition parties had abandoned them. But, in return Shahbaz Sharif and he himself were disqualified and governor's rule was imposed on Punjab. He also praised judiciary, saying that it was doing a great job and the judiciary should check them for any wrongdoing.