Asif asks Taseer to 'go slow'

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday advised Governor Punjab Salman Taseer to adopt 'go slow' in the province and focus his attention on further improving working relations with the Punjab government. Governor Punjab Salman Taseer on Wednesday called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr and gave him a detailed briefing on his working in the province with special reference to his estranged relationship with the Punjab govt. He informed the President that he had been just working within his ambit and was at loss as to why the Punjab government was uneasy with him. The sources privy to the deliberations of the meeting disclosed to TheNation that both the leaders agreed that the coalition government in the province must work effectively and Governor Punjab was advised by the President to adopt the policy of go-slow and not become too harsh against the coalition government. The sources further disclosed that Governor Punjab informed the President that, he, being the administrative head of the province, had been playing his role and trying his utmost to facilitate the Punjab govt. But whenever he saw some anomalies in the working of the government, he did write them to the Punjab government for the collective good of the system, he added. The sources said that a couple of days back both leaders of PML-N, Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif, had attended the APC on National Security called by Premier Gilani and put their weight behind the political and military leadership of the country in countering any threat to the country's territorial and ideological boundaries. During informal chat with the Prime Minister Gilani ahead of the meeting, PML-N Quaid had mentioned the irrational behaviour of the Governor Punjab and feared that the tension in the province could be harmful for the whole system. The sources further disclosed that President Zardari, taking notice of the warning calls coming from the PML-N side, had asked the Governor to restrain and take steps to reduce tension with the Punjab government, which would have direct effect on the working relations between the two coalition partners in the province.

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