PPP leaders accept Zardari’s proposal to form an alliance with PML-Q in Punjab

October 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General, Ashfaq Kayani, secretly met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif fuelling speculations of all kinds in Islamabad's political circle. According to the Dawn, the secret meeting took place at midnight of September 30 in Rawalpindi where Sharif came to meet the army chief without security and protocol.

September 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Government has continuously denied the presence of any terror groups inside the country's boundaries, saying the outfits which are carrying out terrorist activities are 'non state' actors. However, an editorial in one of the leading English dailies of the country has said Islamabad must get rid of these non-state actors if it wants to avoid disastrous repercussions.

September 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's media advisory team has drastically failed to counter the negative publicity against him. According to The Nation, the team of politicians looking after the political affairs at the Presidency, including Rukhsana Bangash, Faranaz Isphahani and Senator Faisal Raza Abedi, were rarely seen working for image building of Zardari.

August 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's office is alone in-charge of all the affairs of former president Pervez Musharraf, including the facilities being provided to him by the government. An informal cell, which works directly under the instructions of Zardari, has been entrusted with the task to safeguard the interests of Musharraf, The News reports.

May 5th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that heads the ruling federal coalition and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that rules Punjab Tuesday failed to come to an understanding on sharing power in the province. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, offered to jointly form the government in Punjab but no agreement could be arrived at, Geo TV reported, quoting sources.

April 22nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Punjab province is falling under the grip of the Taliban and the country needs to act quickly to eliminate this grave threat to the heart of our country, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Deputy Parliamentary leader Dr Farooq Sattar has said. Talking to reporters at Parliament House, Sattar claimed the Taliban were getting stronger in Punjab and the time had come to take immediate action against the people who posed a grave threat to Pakistan's security.

March 28th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain has asked the PML (Nawaz) to stop horse-trading in its quest to poach its candidates to reach the magic number in Punjab. "PML-N is abducting our party lawmakers to form its own favorite parliamentary party for its vested interests.

March 28th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has proposed lifting of Governor's rule in Punjab. Addressing the much-awaited joint sitting of the Parliament, Zardari said: "I propose lifting of Governor rule in Punjab." A parliamentary committee would be constituted to review the 17th Amendment and 58-2(B).

March 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - During last week's political crisis in Pakistan, Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar had offered to resign. PPP Information Secretary Fauzia Wahab confirmed that Babar had offered to resign and demanded that others, who were responsible for the political crisis, should do the same.

March 19th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Smarting from his capitulation to a lawyers' protest, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari now seems to be training his guns on Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, the man who emerged stronger with his deft handling of a crisis that had threatened to spin out of control. Barely had the dust settled on the agitation for reinstating the Supreme Court and high court judges sacked in 2007 that Zardari reached out to a once untouchable enemy in a bid to hit out at Gilani through the back door in a familiar rerun of sub-continental political machinations.

March 13th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has accepted at least two PML-N demands, "and modalities are being finalised to launch the reconciliation process", Awami National Party (ANP) Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan claimed on Thursday. Zardari, however, refused to give a timeframe for fulfilling the demands; Khan was quoted by the Daily Times, as saying.

March 12th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is making all efforts to put -off the political fire that has engulfed the whole country currently. Gilani said he would meet President Asif Ali Zardari, to chalk out a strategy to put an end to the crisis.

March 12th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Fears are growing that the Pakistani opposition's planned march on Islamabad this week might throw the nuclear-armed country into chaos and put the political future of pro-Western President Asif Ali Zardari at risk. The political confrontation could also drive Pakistan away from its fight against extremism and efforts to overcome its economic crisis, two prime concerns Western governments want the Islamic country to focus upon.

March 1st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's defence minister has criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for his alleged calls for civil disobedience and charging President Asif Ali Zardari with being a political 'dictator', saying his comments amount to treachery towards the nation. 'The words uttered by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif fall well within the ambit of treason,' Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar told the media in Pakistan's Gujrat city Saturday.

December 28th, 2008 ISLAMABAD - There could be more political churning in the offing in Pakistan with President Asif Ali Zardari likely to replace Yousuf Raza Gilani as prime minister and transferring all presidential powers to the prime minister by annulling the constitutional amendments former military dictator Pervez Musharraf had effected, a senior member of the ruling coalition says. The politician said that Zardari has taken this decision after a sustained campaign by some members of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that he has failed to implement what is being described as assassinated party chief Benazir Bhutto's political will.