May 18, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 12, 1429

ON BOARD PM’S SPECIAL PLANE: Political parties will not become hostage to President Pervez Musharraf’s wishes but they had to have a working relationship with him “despite our reservations”, according to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Talking to journalists aboard a special plane en route to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh on Saturday, the prime minister said: “We are adhering to the Charter of Democracy and we are committed to it. As a first step, we have released the detained judges and talks are under way. Every wrong can be righted. We all want the judges restored. There is a disagreement only on the modality of implementation.”

When reminded that there were reports the president’s camp was working on a ‘minus-one’ formula (restoring the

pre-Nov 3 judiciary without the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry), he said it was not necessary that all of the president’s desires be fulfilled.

“He wanted a political system minus Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, but their parties are very much a part of the system now … But we have inherited a president and we will have to have a working relationship with him despite our reservations.”

He said he had an ‘excellent relationship’ with Nawaz Sharif and expressed the hope that he would continue to support the coalition government.

He said he did not doubt that the PML-N would rejoin the cabinet soon after the finalisation of legislation for reinstating the judges.

He assured the journalists that judges would be reinstated and that both the major coalition partners would complete their tenure.

He said there was a regular contact between coalition partners and they enjoyed ‘excellent relations’.

About the appointment of the governor of Punjab, he said he had no idea that Salman Taseer’s name would create such bitterness. He said three names had been forwarded to the president for the post and the president eventually approved Mr Taseer’s appointment.

In a lighter vein, the prime minister said that he felt like a free man today because his name had not popped up on the Exit Control List (ECL) while traveling to Egypt.

“My name has been on the ECL for a long time. Last year when I had to go to London for a party meeting I had to submit a Rs5 million bond.” However, he said, he did not hold a grudge against anyone.

He said he was looking forward to meeting US President George Bush on Sunday.

“High on the agenda will be economic cooperation, war on terror, global food security situation, bilateral ties focusing on areas of science and technology, social sector.”

About the war on terror, he said: “There is a misperception that we are fighting a US war. We are a sovereign country and we will not compromise our dignity.”