July 12, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 8, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 11: The Pakistan Muslim League-N on Friday hinted that if the deposed judges were not reinstated it could take a major decision about continuing its support for the Pakistan People’s Party-led coalition government by the end of next month.

“It will be difficult to continue on this path indefinitely. We want the (judges’) issue to be resolved in four to six weeks, either this way or that way,” PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal told Dawn after his return from the US and the UK.

Mr Iqbal said his party was keen to keep the ruling coalition intact, but it was getting difficult to continue to support the government without judges’ reinstatement.

Mr Iqbal said his party was under pressure to take a clear stand on the issue and a meeting of the party leadership to decide its future course of action was expected after the return of party chief Nawaz Sharif from London.

He said that despite the fact the PPP was taking major decisions on key national issues without consulting the coalition partners, the PML-N wanted the coalition government to succeed, believing that no single party could steer the country out of the present crisis.

Political analysts believe that the popularity graph of the PML-N which was going due to the party’s position on the judges issue started declining after the party’s unclear stand on the PPP-led coalition government.

Sources said some sections of lawyers, who were appreciative of PML-N’s position, had also started criticising the PML-N leadership for continuing its support to the PPP government which, according to them, was not sincere in restoring the deposed judges.

Moreover, the PML-N decision to take part in the lawyers’ long march and hold protest demonstrations while remaining a part of the ruling coalition had also drawn criticism from different sections of society.

Mr Iqbal said it was true that the people wanted his party to take a firm position.

He said there were occasions in the past when the PML-N could have parted ways with and withdrawn it support for the coalition government, but it avoided doing so.

Citing examples, he said, that first the government failed to implement the Murree Declaration and then it appointed a controversial person as Punjab governor.

Similarly, he said, the party demolished patience when the judges who had taken oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) of President Musharraf disqualified Nawaz Sharif from contesting the by-election.

Mr Iqbal alleged that his party had not been consulted by the PPP before the launching of military operation in tribal areas and increasing prices of oil, gas and electricity.

Despite these unilateral decisions of the PPP, he said, the PML-N continued its support, but it was now getting difficult for them to do so.

Mr Iqbal, however, avoided setting deadline for the PPP to restore the judges.

He ruled out the possibility of rejoining the cabinet without reinstatement of the judges.