May 14, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1429

ISLAMABAD, May 13: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will not field its candidates against Nawaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders in the coming by-elections, according to Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman.

“Leaders of PML-N are our associates and PPP would continue maintaining the reconciliation culture and strengthening democracy … as it has been restored after a long struggle,” she said at a function organised here on Tuesday to pay tribute to journalists who struggled for freedom of media during the martial law in the 70s.

She said the PPP was still committed to reinstating the judges and stood by its pledge to restore the pre-Nov 3, 2007, judiciary.

On the issue of resignations by PML-N’s ministers, the minister said the PPP-led coalition government would not fill the portfolios vacated by them.

Leader of the House in Senate Raza Rabbani said the PPP’s resolve to restore the pre-Nov3 judiciary should not be doubted.

He said the two parties had no differences over judiciary’s restoration. There was disagreement on the method, he said, adding that the matter would be resolved through talks.

“The PPP and the PML-N share the same goals and these are the reinstatement of judges deposed on Nov 3, and a strong, prosperous and democratic Pakistan,” he said.