July 17, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 13, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 16: The ruling coalition is tottering but none of its two mainstays are willing to own a breakup, whenever and for whatever reason it comes.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has linked the success or failure of the coalition government to the reinstatement of deposed judges of the superior courts, saying the PML-N will not be responsible if the coalition collapsed.

On the other hand, the PPP says that the success or failure of the government is the responsibility of all the coalition partners.

“The key to success or the failure of the coalition government is now with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). If the Murree Declaration is implemented, the coalition government will succeed, and if not, the PML-N will not be responsible for its failure in any way,” PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal said while talking to Dawn.

When contacted, PPP spokesman and former senator Farhatullah Khan Babar opined the “key to success or failure lies with all coalition partners”.

He reiterated that the PPP was committed to the reinstatement of the judges who were deposed by President Pervez Musharraf when he imposed emergency in the country on November 3, last year. “We believe that the spirit of the Murree Declaration will be implemented and there is no escape from it,” Mr Babar said, adding that he could not suggest any timeframe as to when the judges would be restored. He, however, expressed the hope that the judges would be reinstated soon.

Mr Iqbal who was among the nine PML-N ministers who quit the federal cabinet on May 12 to register their protest over the failure of the government to restore the judges in accordance with Murree Declaration said his party was keen to keep the ruling coalition intact, but it was getting difficult for them to continue the support to the government without restoration of the deposed judges.

Mr Iqbal alleged that the PPP was taking major decisions on key national issues without consulting the coalition partners. He said the PML-N was not responsible for non-implementation of the Murree Declaration, signed by PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif on March 9 under which the two parties had agreed to restore the judges through a parliamentary resolution within 30 days of the formation of the federal government.

The PML-N office-bearer said his party was doing responsible politics and trying to save the coalition in the country’s interest.

Mr Iqbal said there were many occasions in the past when the PML-N could have parted its ways and announced withdrawal of the support to the coalition government, but it refrained from doing so. Non-implementation of the Murree Declaration, appointment of a controversial person as Punjab governor, announcement by Mr Zardari that PPP man would be president of the country and launching of military operation in tribal areas are examples of unilateral decisions taken by the PPP.

On the other hand, Mr Babar claimed that the PPP had regularly been consulting all the coalition partners on key national issues.

He expressed his surprise over the statements of the PML-N leaders that their party was not consulted on the issue of launching military operation in tribal areas and said

Nawaz Sharif was present in the meeting in which a three-pronged strategy to deal with the tribal areas’ situation was finalised. He said in one such meeting he himself was present.

Explaining, Mr Babar said it was decided among the coalition partners that the tribal situation would be controlled through “political engagement and dialogue with the tribal elders, through massive injection of funds for socio-economic development with emphasis on human development and through use of force wherever necessary with special emphasis on preventing collateral damage”.

When asked as to why Mr Sharif then issued this statement, Mr Babar said it was “perhaps due to some miscommunication”.