LAHORE: Punjab Governor Latif Khosa signed on Monday the advice sent to him by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif about removal of seven PPP ministers from the provincial cabinet.

President Asif Ali Zardari had hinted on Sunday the PPP did not want to dither over the advice. He summoned Mr Khosa to Karachi on Monday and directed him to sign it.

According to sources in the PPP, the co-chairman felt that a delay in signing the advice would be counter-productive. He discussed with Mr Khosa about the 'new role' he would have to play in the changed situation and asked to take on the PML-N leadership head on, instead of issuing 'friendly' statements.

Before sending the advice to the governor, the chief minister had removed 13 parliamentary secretaries belonging to the PPP. Our Reporter adds from Karachi:

The president exchanged views with the Punjab governor on the deteriorating political climate because of PML-N's decision to end the alliance with the PPP in the province and ally with the so-called “unification group” of the PML-Q.

Sources said the PPP's attack on “Chhanga Manga” politics encouraging defection would continue and the party would play the role of opposition in Punjab.

At the same time, the PPP would continue its efforts to persuade the PML-N leadership to review its decision and honour the commitment it had made in the Charter of Democracy, the sources added.

President's Spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said the Punjab governor informed the president about the summary sent by the chief minister, and the president advised him to proceed in accordance with the Constitution. The PPP would uphold the rule of law, the president told the governor.

The sources said the matter of allocating separate seats to the “unification group” in the Punjab Assembly and its legal and constitutional ramifications also came under discussion.

Mr Babar said the PPP would not allow anyone to derail the democratic dispensation.

The pace of progress on development projects, rebuilding of damaged infrastructure and the law and order situation in Punjab also came under discussion during the meeting.

The president informed the governor that during his recent visit to Tokyo he sought Japanese assistance for rebuilding roads and bridges destroyed by floods in the province on the lines of its assistance for rebuilding the damaged infrastructure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Interior Minister Rahman Malik briefed the president on the law and order situation in the country.