Prime Minister Gilani has said that the Punjab government must not be toppled as his PPP-led government respected the peoples mandate. His saying so was as significant as who he said it to, for he was addressing an AJK workers convention while his partys ally, the AJKPP, is about to go into a general election in alliance with Sardar Attiques AJK Muslim Conference faction. Because the AJKMC has a deep link with the PML-N ruling the neighbouring Punjab, the PPPs behaviour there matters, not to mention the recent developments of the PPP pulling out of the government there to go into opposition, followed very quickly by the PML-Q going into alliance with it. The PML-Q and the PPP would have the numbers needed to form a majority to replace the current government, but the PML-Q has seen the Unification Bloc formed, which prevents the alliance from having the numbers, as the Bloc supports the Shahbaz government, and perhaps the only result of all of that loud talk would be the inclusion of Unification Bloc members in the provincial cabinet. If the Prime Minister wishes to assure the provincial government that it will not engage in any fresh useless adventure, so as to continue the working relationship between the federal and provincial governments, he must make sure that the provincial office-bearers of the party should not indulge in any loose talk. This might not be as easy as it sounds, for some of those making threatening noises were members of his own cabinet, and are still counted as close to the President. The Punjab Governor is also a presidential appointee, and should be more careful of what he says, and should keep in mind what the Lahore High Court has said about party and government offices while deciding on the petition about the President holding both. As a lawyer, he will be aware that he has to observe the same precautions in acting as the head of a province as the President has to observe as head of state. This is not the time for Mr Gilani to play politics as if all else is normal. If others do not realise the gravity of the situation, he should. This is a time when he must hold together all provinces, not just the ones which the PPP heads, or in which it has a share, not least the countrys largest province. If his words are to have any meaning, he will have to stop the self-indulgence shown by those party leaders engaging in gratuitous wish fulfillment. He must make them realise that while the talk they indulge in will neither help him run the government better, nor bring about any change.