Punjab: Shahbaz government may be restored within a week

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: The Shahbaz Sharif government in Punjab may be restored this week as result of the Gilani-Nawaz Sharif meeting in Raiwind.

The federal government will on Tuesday or Wednesday move the Supreme Court to grant a stay order against the earlier decision to disqualify the Sharif brothers on February 24.

The top sources said, with the stay order most likely to be granted on request of the federal government, the Shahbaz Sharif government might be restored automatically without any requirement of new vote of confidence or election of a new leader of the house.

The sources said, with this decision, more than 50 per cent “irritants” between the two major political parties would stand removed and a new beginning was on the cards and soon it might be normal business as it was before the decision of the court.

The sources said, with this stay order, the political scene will change. “The prime minister returned from Raiwand quite satisfied with the outcome of his talks with Nawaz camp,” one source said.

Even the Nawaz camp was said to be happy over the commitment of PM Gilani that his attorney general would seek a stay order against the earlier order from the court.

The court decision to stay the earlier order would be taken as a win win situation for both the parties as no one could claim the victory or defeat on this issue once the matter will be resolved through the court, the sources said.

PM Gilani told Nawaz Sharif during the meeting that clear instructions had already been issued to the attorney general of Pakistan Latif Khosa to move an application in the court on behalf of federal government to stay the decision of the court till the final judgement on the review petition was given in the days to come.

The sources said, another major achievement of this high profile meeting was that PPP was finally ready to move a bill in the parliament to bring about changes in the controversial 17th amendment which had become a bone of contention between the two parties.

The amended bill of PML-N and MQM might be clubbed or a joint parliamentary committee would be formed to review and then submit a joint bill before the parliament to remove this huge irritant in the current political system of the country.

The sources said, both the sides during the meeting also discussed that that those who were responsible for creating the political mess in Punjab should be marginalised in the new arrangement so that in future no such developments take place which finally led to governor’s rule in Punjab.

However, PML-N camp did not press the prime minister on this issue. But these irritants were definitely discussed in the meeting and even some heads may roll once PM Gilani meets President Zardari to brief him about the outcome of his meeting with the Sharif brothers.

Top sources said apart from sending PM Gilani to appease Nawaz, President Zardari had also sent one of his top aides, known for his real estate business in Islamabad to hold a separate meeting with Nawaz Sharif to give him guarantees on his behalf.

President Zardari was not only showing full confidence in the person of Mr Gilani to win over Nawaz and soften him he was also using other channels to send his own messages of reconciliation.

PM Gilani was said to have also given an assurance to Nawaz that in case court decision about the eligibility of Sharif brothers gets late, the PPP might come forward to help it form its government in Punjab so this major irritant should also be removed.

PM Gilani believed that once Shahbaz government was restored, rest of the issues would automatically be discussed and sorted out through mutual dialogue.

Meanwhile, the inside sources said, the fresh understanding reached between Gilani and PML-N leaders at Raiwand is said to have also saved the job of prime minister who otherwise was said to be in the firing line in case his new arrangements with PML-N were not finalised in the Sunday meeting.

Thus it was also in the best interests of Gilani himself to bring Nawaz camp back into the fold of PPP so he should continue his job as the prime minister and he wisely held successful negotiations with the Sharif brothers who showed huge respect to him.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=21095