Durrani rules out PML, PPPP accord
Bureau Report

KARACHI—Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani has categorically ruled out the possibility of having an alliance between the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP).
He was talking to newsmen Wednesday night here at Mazar-e-Quaid after reviewing the arrangements being made by the Government for celebrating the upcoming birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
“PML and PPPP are completely different parties with distinguished candidates and voter banks besides they have different (political) approach,” he pointed out and said there can be no alliance between the two parties. Muhammad Ali Durrani said the steps we are taking in the leadership of President General Pervez Musharraf are such that they cannot have any opposition by any party and mentioned the passage of Women Protection Bill which had the support of PPPP.
He said the bill could not have any opposition because if any party opposed it then there would hardly be any chance for them to get votes even from their own households. To a question regarding the protection of NWFP Chief Minister, the Federal Minister said the Chief Minister House is located in the safest area of Peshawar and it is situated on a wide piece of land spread over many acres. He said if a Naib Qasid of an organisation throws a rejected piece of explosive material measuring only a few grams in a nullah passing near the CM House, which can hardly kill even the fish, then what harm can it cause to anyone. “In spite of this, if the Chief Minister feels unsafe, the Federal Government is ready to make arrangements for his protection. The Federal Government had already set up a committee which has started an inquiry into the issue,” Muhammad Ali Durrani informed. Referring to the taking up of this matter in the Provincial Assembly by the NWFP leadership, he said making use of their majority in the Provincial Assembly for their own objectives is a deplorable act. “Life and death is only in the hands of Allah Almighty,” the Federal Minister pointed out.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani has offered that if the NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani feels unsafe, the Federal Government is ready to make arrangements for his protection.
He was talking to newsmen Wednesday night here at Mazar-e-Quaid after reviewing the arrangements being made by the Government for celebrating the upcoming birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
To a question regarding the protection of NWFP Chief Minister, the Federal Minister said the Chief Minister House is located in the safest area of Peshawar and it is situated on a wide piece of land spread over many acres.
He said if a Naib Qasid of an organisation throws a rejected piece of explosive material measuring only a few grams in a nullah passing near the CM House, which can hardly kill even the fish, then what harm can it cause to anyone. Opposition Peoples Party leader Aitzaz Ahsan has said that his party’s alliance with the MMA is not possible because they have different ideology.
Aitzaz was commenting on Nawaz Sharif’s proposal that all opposition parties should contest the elections jointly by forming an electoral alliance. Talking to a private TV channel he said Nawaz Sharif has a very important role in ARD and his suggestion has an importance and it should be taken seriously.
But, he pointed out, the difficulty is that PPPP’s alliance with the MMA is not possible because they have different ideology and that MMA is present in the ruling alliance with the Government.
However, he said there is possibility of seat to seat electoral adjustment with the coalition in order to restore democracy in the country. Responding to a question the opposition leader said MMA should resign from the government in Balochistan and maintained that they are not the real opposition as they are allies of the ruling PML (Q) in Balochistan.