Governor slot may figure in give & take

ISLAMABAD - The Presidency though termed the question of next Punjab Governor after alarming murder of incumbent Salman Taseer in red security zone here as premature, well-placed sources believe the Governorship could figure in the ongoing political give and take. It is too early to say anything on that and no one in the party is in a position to look at the gory incident in that way, said saddened Farhatullah Babar, the official spokesman of President and Co-Chairman of the PPP Asif Ali Zardari. Although former President General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf had appointed Taseer on May 15, 2008 as Punjab Governor, he had become confidante of President Zardari. Therefore, it is nothing less than a shocking loss for the ruling PPP that is already faced with a situation of lacking simple majority in the National Assembly after defections by one after the other of its allies. Well-placed sources in the PPP told this scribe that this factor of Governors vacancy in Punjab could become part of the partys ongoing political 'give and take with the PML-N. The sources were talking in the backdrop of PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharifs ultimatum to expel the PPP from the Punjab government if its government at the centre fails to follow an interim agenda he gave for 45 days. Analysts might brand the PML-N again as friendly opposition as apparently gave a way out to the incumbent government dwindling after allies left them in the lurch, Sharif categorically pointed at fresh mandate as an ultimate option. Therefore, to stop PML-N from going for the 'ultimate the PPP could offer them even the Governorship, the sources observed. But there were bleak chances for that to happen as such, they rushed to add. Notwithstanding it is the Presidencys prerogative to appoint Governor in Punjab as well, the sources pointed out that President Zardari would certainly take Sharif into confidence to take some more leverage on the front of central politics, the sources said. Therefore, they hinted at further meetings between President Zardari and Nawaz Sharif. Still the sources did not rule out the possibility of President Zardari appointing a new Governor from his own party independent of the PML-N, the PPPs senior coalition partner in Punjab. They also underlined a possibility of the PPP doling out this key slot in Punjab to the former ruling party PML-Q as a bait to make them even a silent ally for rest of the term in power. In the given scenario of realpolitik and party position in the Parliament, the PML-Q has become an equal stakeholder in the issue of next Governors appointment in Punjab as they have been reportedly neared a power-sharing agreement with PPP for future if not for the current term. According to the sources, both the PPP and the PML-Q were mindful of the likelihood that they together in the Punjab Assembly could challenge the majority rule of PML-N in the province.