LAHORE, Jan 18: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik conveyed a ‘special message’ from President Asif Zardari to PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Sunday and discussed the lawyers’ long march, the Punjab governor’s controversial statements, a disqualification case against the Sharif brothers and bills for undoing the 17th Amendment.

The law and order situation and Pakistan-India tensions were also discussed at the meeting which was also attended by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Pakistan Muslim League-N officials claimed that Mr Malik had visited Raiwind to seek support of the Punjab government ‘in handling the proposed long march without any eventuality’.

“Mr Malik wants the PML-N to extend only symbolic support to the lawyers and avoid making it a big show in view of the deteriorating law and order situation and tension on borders,” they said.

Mr Sharif urged the PPP to implement the Charter of Democracy (CoD) and fulfil the promise of reinstating deposed judges, they said. He said the PML-N would support the legal community.

He said his party had taken the responsibility of repealing the 17th Amendment to the Constitution after the government’s failure to move a bill in this regard.

Seeking PPP’s support for the bill, he expressed the hope that all democratic forces would support the 18th amendment.

Mr Sharif expressed his reservations over the attitude of Governor Salman Taseer and demanded that the PPP leadership should bar him from issuing controversial statements which, he said, could increase tension between the coalition partners.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, Mr Malik said the talks had primarily focused on law and order and foreign threats.

He said all allied parties had been consulted on the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks. He said he had visited Mr Sharif to take him into confidence on various issues of national importance in accordance with PPP’s aim of pursuing politics of consensus.

He said the government would accept parliament’s decision on the 17th Amendment.

Lauding the chief minister’s efforts for maintaining law and order, he said the accused in recent blasts in Lahore had been arrested.

He said he had shared with the chief minister information about arrests made in connection with Mumbai attacks.

The adviser also praised the provincial government’s cooperation in the operation against the banned Jamaatud Dawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba.