(21 Feb 2008)
1. Co-chairman of Pakistan People's Party, PPP, Asif Ali Zardari and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif shaking hands for cameras at news conference
2. Cutaway of cameramen and reporters
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Asif Ali Zardari, Co-chairman of Pakistan People's Party:
"We have come to the same position, which we started this fight with, we will be together in the struggle for democracy, we intend to stay together, we intend to be together in the parliament. We have, Inshallah (God willing) a future of democracy, within our grasp we will strengthen the parliament, we will strengthen democracy, we will work for Pakistan together, we will make a stronger Pakistan."
4. Cutaway of photographers
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nawaz Sharif, leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N:
"In principle, there is no disagreement on the restoration of the judiciary. We will work on the modalities in the parliament. So this has been decided between the two of us."
6. Cutaway of news conference
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nawaz Sharif, leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N:
"We respect their mandate wholeheartedly and we have told them, Mr Asif Zardari, not only that we will be supporting your government here in Islamabad, we will ensure that you complete a full five-years term, as has been given by the people of Pakistan. So we will not create any problems whatsoever, and we will work jointly all over the country, in all the provinces and also the centre."
8. Close of photographer
9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Asif Ali Zardari, Co-chairman of Pakistan People's Party:
"Our first resolution, our first point of order on the day we take oath and governance, will be a request to the United Nations for helping us uncover the incident of Shaheed (Martyr) Mohtarma (Madam) Benazir Bhutto."
10. Wide of news conference
STORYLINE:
Pakistan's two main opposition parties announced on Thursday they would form a new government together after their victory in elections this week, but skirted the issue of whether they would push for the ouster of US-backed President Pervez Musharraf.
The broad agreement between the two secular groups, which tussled for power for a decade before Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup, marks an important step toward setting up a civilian administration to govern the Islamic nation after years of military rule.
Asif Ali Zardari, the widowed husband of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto, and Nawaz Sharif, whose last government was ousted by Musharraf, made the announcement after meeting in Islamabad, three days after defeating the ruling party in the parliamentary elections.
"We have come to the same position, which we started this fight with, we will be together in the struggle for democracy, we intend to stay together, we intend to be together in the parliament," Zardari, co-chairman of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party said at a joint news conference with Sharif.
"We have, Inshallah (God willing) a future of democracy, within our grasp we will strengthen the parliament, we will strengthen democracy, we will work for Pakistan together, we will make a stronger Pakistan," he added.
They said a third smaller group, the Awami National Party, would join them.
The Pakistan People's Party won 87 National Assembly seats in Monday's vote, and Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N won 67 out of 268 seats contested.
"We will not create any problems whatsoever, and we will work jointly all over the country, in all the provinces and also the centre," Sharif told reporters at the news conference.
Six results have yet to be announced.
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