PPP considering working out a 'national government' with opposition parties? - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Worried by recent developments that have shaken the country's power set-up, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led government is reportedly toying with the idea of taking opposition parties such as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Muslim League- Quaid (PML-Q) on board. According to government insiders, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, together are working out a strategy to take all the coalition partners as well as the opposition parties in to confidence over the proposal. Presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar, however, denied reports about formation of a national government, The News reports. Babar said the PPP government was elected for a term of five years and that it was already working in alliance with all its partners. Sources said the government was also considering forming two committees headed by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to formally contact the PML-Q and the parliamentarians representing the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Meanwhile, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has denied reports that his party was working to destabilise the government and added that there was no possibility of a 'national government' in the country. Sharif said PML-N does not want a weak government in the country and has no intentions to push for mid-term elections. "We don't want to see weak democracy in the country," the former Prime Minister said. Sharif also denied asking Zardari to step down.