PM Gilani said the government was striving to maintain an atmosphere of reconciliation among the political forces and was attending not only to the PML-N agenda but also to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s concerns.– File Photo

ISLAMABAD / BAHAWALPUR: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Monday that the implementation of Pakistan Muslim League-N’s 10-point reforms agenda would take time.

Talking to journalists in Bahawalpur, he explained that proposals calling for restructuring would take more time to implement.

Thursday is the last day of a 45-day period set by the PML-N for the government to implement the agenda.

The prime minister said he had asked the government’s team negotiating with a PML-N committee to take people into confidence on the issue and keep him informed of the progress made.

The parliamentary group of the Pakistan People’s Party and its coalition partners in the National Assembly also unanimously endorsed the view of the government that all the points of the agenda were doable, but the implementation of those pertaining to restructuring of public sector organisations should not be expected within 45 days.

According to sources, the parliamentary group was informed that the government had sincerely tried to implement the reforms, but found the time limit put by the PML-N ‘unrealistic’, at least as far as the restructuring of government-run organisations was concerned.

After presiding over the meeting, the prime minister gave a statement in the National Assembly on the reforms and the Raymond Davis issue.

“Six of the 10 points of PML-N’s agenda have been implemented so far, while the remaining four pertain to the restructuring of organisations which cannot be done in a brief period of 45 days.”

The meeting was attended by MNAs belonging to the PPP, ANP, MQM, Fata and PML-F.

The prime minister said the government was ready to implement the entire agenda, but it should not be expected to do miracles.

Information Minister Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan told reporters that Law Minister Babar Awan, a member of the five-member government team negotiating with the PML-N, briefed the parliamentary group about the talks held so far.

He said the government was striving to maintain an atmosphere of reconciliation among the political forces and was attending not only to the PML-N agenda but also to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s concerns.

The law minister said there was no deadlock between the PPP and PML-N, but there was a difference of opinion on the issue of deadline for implementing the agenda.

“There is no discord between Prime Minister Gilani and Mian Nawaz Sharif,” he said.

The information minister said another meeting of the parliamentary group would be held on Wednesday.

HORSE TRADING: Addressing a news conference along with Punjab’s Senior Minister Raja Riaz, Law Minister Babar Awan accused the PML-N of making a mockery of the Charter of Democracy by accepting turncoats into its fold.

He said the ‘rulers of Lahore’ wanted to bury the charter and had initiated horse trading in Punjab.

Mr Awan said the PML-N wanted to discard PPP’s mandate in Punjab and was poised to run the government with the help of turncoats (the Unification Bloc of the PML-Q) who, he added, were only loyal to money.

About the agenda presented by the PML-N to the federal government, he said there was no room for a ‘deadline’ in politics and that the PPP did not believe in politics of deadlines, neither would it bow to intimidation.

He warned that the attitude of PML-N’s leaders was posing a threat to the federation.

“The Punjab chief minister has said that Feb 22 will be the final day for talks with the PPP. It means that the PML-N alone will topple the governments in the rest of the provinces. The smaller provinces have been hurt by the statement of Shahbaz Sharif,” he said.

“But we believe in politics of federation, reconciliation and it is the basic reason for not leaving the coalition government in Punjab,” he said.

The federal minister said the PPP would continue dialogue with other parties, including the PML-N, and consensus could be achieved through consultation, not dictation.

He urged the Punjab chief minister to fulfil promises regarding the 19-point reforms agenda of the PPP.

“If the PML-N really wants any positive change in governance, it must implement the agenda presented by PPP’s members of the Punjab Assembly,” he said.

“The PPP does not want its reforms agenda in Punjab to meet a fate similar to that of the All Pakistan Democratic Alliance,” he said.

Provincial Minister Raja Riaz said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was not paying heed to the issues highlighted by PPP lawmakers.

He accused the provincial government of using state machinery to win the loyalties of turncoats.