March 01, 2008	Saturday	Safar 22, 1429

LAHORE, Feb 29: The PML-N reiterated on Friday that it would not share ministries with the PPP at the center or in Punjab although the party would support the PPP-led coalition for full five years.

A top PML-N leader said on the condition of anonymity that his party had serious reservations about joining the proposed coalition although the PPP was insisting that it should join the setup.

The PPP and the PML-N had contested the elections against each other, but leaders of the two parties had agreed subsequently to cooperate in running the country.

The PML-N leader said his party would like the PPP to set up its government under a prime minister of its own choice. He said the PML-N did not have any favourites in the PPP and would support anyone chosen by the party.

The PPP sources say that there will be no compromise on the issue and the PML-N would have to take ministries in the PPP-led coalition at the center and give the PPP its share in the PML-N-led setup in Punjab.

‘‘Asif Ali Zardari is determined to take the PML-N along in the government of national consensus he is trying to cobble together. He will not change his stance on the matter".

PPP sources think the PML-N is reluctant to take ministries in the coalition so that the PPP could be held responsible for all ‘unpopular’ decisions, no matter how unavoidable, taken by the new government to solve people’s problems.

A PML-N leader said anyone in position of authority had to take credit or discredit for the policies.

Therefore, the credit would go exclusively to the PPP if it introduced good policies to steer the country out of the prevailing mess, he said.

He said although the situation had brought the two parties closer to each other, they remained different entities. “Many PPP candidates defeated the PML-N contestants and many PML-N people defeated the PPP candidates in the recent elections. They will contest elections against each other even in the future”, he said, justifying why the two parties should maintain some distance despite mutual cooperation.