A working relationship

PM(N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif should be complimented for responding positively to Mr Asif Ali Zardari's elevation to the office of President. Highlighting the need for both parties to develop a consensus on various issues, he said that it was now up to the PPP to decide about the fate of their partnership. His plea that all should extend support to the PPP to complete its term deserves praise. This would surely help assuage the rising temperature on both sides. While one hopes that President Zardari will react earnestly to Mian Nawaz' call, there is nonetheless need to focus on other pressing matters raised by the latter, like removing Article 58(2b) and restoring Parliament's sovereignty.

With its own prime minister and president, the onus is on the PPP to bring the country back on the rails. Among the most vexing problems, so far as relations between centre and provinces are concerned, is the acrimony between the PPP and the PML(N), with Punjab becoming the main fault line. Apparently, the ball is in the PPP's court and, as the PML(N) chief has said, it depends on the party bigwigs' response to the country's challenging tasks, notably the judicial crisis. That is precisely the point where the shoe pinches and must therefore be addressed on a priority basis. Keeping in view the President's statements on various occasions, it seems he is willing to go in the right direction: his efforts at reducing the tension in Punjab between the governor and the chief minister and clipping his own powers. It nevertheless remains to be seen how he would take on the uphill task.