Taseer warns against 'horse-trading'

LAHORE - Governor Punjab, Salman Taseer, while urging the political parties to stop politics of ‘forward blocs’ and horse-trading, has promised for lifting the Governor Rule within 24 hours provided either PPP or PML-N forms an alliance with the PML-Q or with each other to prove majority and bring forward a joint candidate as Leader of the House. He was addressing a Press conference at the Governor’s House here on Wednesday.
A visibly less belligerent and soft towards the PML-N, Salman Taseer said no single party commanded majority in the Punjab Assembly and the only way forward was alliance of two from among three major parties. “The Constitution does not recognise any such majority, which some party gets through negative tactics, as the members of the assembly have got mandate of people on manifesto of their political parties. Being the Governor, I cannot appreciate any such activity,� the Governor said, while adding that the people who had got mandate of public on behalf of their party, could not hand it over to others.
He invited N-League leadership to put an end to the politics of confrontation and help in the lifting of the Governor Rule. “People of the Punjab are tired of street politics and want political matters to be resolved in assemblies. If the political leadership wants lifting of the Rule, horse-trading should be stopped which is against the spirit of Charter of Democracy in which both the parties have promised to respect each other’s mandate. The N-League can form alliance with any other party and bring forward a joint candidate,� he added.
Replying to a question about the PPP’s effort at creating a forward bloc within the N-League, Salman Taseer said that formation of forward bloc and horse-trading was against democratic traditions and constitution. “Politics of forward blocs and horse-trading will not help in creating a stable government, as the assemblies cannot be run with such a mindset. During the recent confrontation between the PPP and N-League, the idea of creating a forward bloc within N-League at the federal level was floated, but the PPP leadership did not support this idea,� he maintained.
He said that people of the province were fed up with the politics of roads and they wanted to see a stable government in the province.
Salman Taseer said his administration had neither arrested any political worker or leader nor used baton charge against them during the long march. “A lenient way was adopted and all allegations in this regard were baseless,� he asserted.