PPP, PML-N dash hopes of PML-Q in Pak Punjab

Islamabad, Jan. 25 (ANI): The unexpected harmony between the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) following President Asif Ali Zardari's meeting with Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has dashed the hopes of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) to form an alliance with either of the two parties in Punjab.

The discreet meetings and backdoor negotiations between the top leaders of the PPP and the PML-N discussions have ensured the safely of Punjab coalitions till the next Senate elections, The Nation reports.

Sources have disclosed that both the major forces have pledged to observe restraint till the next elections, shutting the doors on the PML (Q) that was craving for an alliance.

The PPP and PML-N coalition was formed in March 2008. The PML-N had won 59 seats out of 147 while PPP got 45 in February 2008 elections.

With 28 seats, PML-Q was hoping to claim the chief minister's slot after forming an alliance with either of the two governing parties and taking forward bloc in its fold.

But political analysts feel that both PPP and PML-N would not afford to get the PML-Q on board as taking them in their fold would ruin their political image in the masses, as PML-N had repeatedly labelled them as the remnant of the dictatorial forces while PPP had claimed their hands in Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

Sources disclosed that Nawaz Sharif and other party leaders were averse to the idea of forming an alliance with Q-League.

However, a minority of the party wants to keep the party independent with an argument that in case of allying with either of these two political forces, their party would disintegrate as the political groups would joint either PPP or PML(N). (ANI)