ISLAMABAD, March 24: Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan indicated on Tuesday that his party was ready to share power with the Pakistan People’s Party in Punjab.

“There is pressure on both parties to work together in the context of numbers’ game in the assembly,” he said at a press conference.

However, he said a final decision was yet to be taken.

Chaudhry Nisar, who is Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, described the recent meeting between Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Nawaz Sharif as useful. It was a first step towards reconciliation, and the nitty gritty of the future roadmap yet to be discussed. He said it was essential to implement the Charter of Democracy to make the working relationship move forward.

He proposed a phased implementation on the charter and said that matters having across-the-board acceptance should be taken up first and a committee should be formed to ponder over contentious issues.

Answering a question, he said the PML-N had not changed its stance on Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf. There was never an understanding on the Musharraf issue and there wouldn’t be one in the days ahead, he remarked.

Chaudhry Nisar called for leaving Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and other restored judges alone. It is essential to step back and allow the judiciary to function in an independent manner in the wake of the epoch-making struggle.

For that reason, he said his party stayed away from the flag-hoisting ceremony outside the residence of the chief justice.

He welcomed the decision of Justice Iftikhar not to attend any social, political or government function.

The PML-N leader criticised Chaudhrys of Gujrat for accusing his party of horse-trading and said because of lack of confidence in the PML-Q leadership members of the forward bloc were ready to face disqualification but not to rejoin the party.Chaudhry Nisar said the Chaudhrys had not objected to the hijacking of their party in Balochistan where the PPP with only eight members formed the government although the PML-Q had 18 legislators.

“They cannot see horse-trading in Balochistan but have the guts to accuse us of resorting to horse-trading,” he remarked.
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