GUJRAT, Jan 25: Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar on Sunday ruled out any alliance between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) in the near future.

Talking to Dawn, Mukhtar said his party wanted to continue the coalition with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Punjab and was trying to improve its relations with the Punjab government. He said the federal government would never think of destabilising the Punjab government. He, however, asked PML-N patron Nawaz Sharif not to give statements like “Pakistan is about to be declared a failed state”. He said Mr Sharif served as the prime minister of the country twice therefore he should act responsibly.

The minister said neither PPP nor PML-N was ready to accept PML-Q. He said the reports of a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-Q leader Pervaiz Elahi were baseless. He dispelled the impression that Mr Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had any differences.

He said the government’s foreign policy successfully defused tension with India and convinced the world to accept its anti-terrorism and anti-war policy.—Correspondent