Rauf Klasra: Gilani Caught Like Deer between the Chaudhries and Sharifs

While Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is repeatedly saying publicly that he would repeal the 17th Amendment in coordination with the PML-N, privately he is reported to have agreed to take the PML-Q on board at the Centre and in the Punjab, a move which will ultimately end in his own political exit from the scene.Gilani’s meetings with the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, after they secretly met President Asif Zardari, have almost led to an understanding between the two parties and the entire PPP leadership is now playing in the hands of the wily Chaudhrys, who were until recently the hated villains of the political drama. In a latest twist, which also means pushing the goalpost a step further, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has persuaded President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani not to remove Governor Salmaan Taseer nor lift governor’s rule in the Punjab. This is considered to be the only way to stop a big chunk of Q-MPs from crossing over to the PML-N.