PML(Q) leader Ch Pervaiz Elahi, very much aware of the widening gulf between the PPP and the PML(N), said on Monday that his party could contribute to the ouster of the Punjab government. This indicates that his party is keen to play a role in upsetting the delicate balance of power in the province. To one's utter disappointment, Ch Pervez did not hesitate from saying that court decisions regarding Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif's disqualification might soon be announced. Ch Pervez aired these views just a day after tendering his resignation as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly amid reports that he was being offered an olive branch by the PPP in the form of some ministry at the Centre in return for his support. Now that Mr Zardari has become President, it is obvious that the PPP has emerged as the most powerful player in the political arena, but using that leverage to pull the rug from under the feet of its former coalition partner would not benefit anyone, let alone the poor masses waiting for their leaders to perform miracles. There are reports that party's bigwigs, especially the Punjab Governor, are willing to go the extra mile to topple the PML(N)'s set up. Recently Mr Taseer met Chaudhry brothers in an effort to cobble a relationship and direct that against the provincial government. The PPP cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the repercussions that would follow. In the past, both parties suffered heavy losses merely because of the zero-sum game they played against one another. No sooner had the government been formed after the elections, than the mutual rivalry had started to drive a wedge between the two. Yet in another way both the PML(N) and the PPP are in the same boat and must therefore avoid creating trouble for the other. Just as the former is the single largest party in Punjab but not the majority party, more or less same is the case with the latter at the Centre. On the other hand, one is also dismayed to see that the PML(N), in an effort to save its set-up, is resorting to measures, which go against its stated stance of practising the politics of principle. It too is trying to woo the forward bloc in an effort to strengthen its rule. There is no disputing the fact that the PML(Q) owes its political resurrection to the mutual acrimony between the PPP and the PML(N). Their rigid positions and failure to reach a consensus on vexing issues confronting the nation has brought the former King's Party back to the limelight. The leadership should end the constant bickering that so far appears to be the hallmark of their political philosophy. Time is running out.