Islamabad: Pakistan's opposition leader on Tuesday gave Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani 72 hours to agree to key reforms, otherwise threatening to expel the ruling party from government in Punjab province.
Nawaz Sharif delivered the ultimatum with Gilani scrambling to keep his government alive since losing his majority on Sunday when junior coalition partner, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), quit to join the opposition.
"The prime minister should tell us within the next 72 hours if he can do it. If he does not tell us or says he cannot do it, then we will part ways with them in Punjab also," Sharif said.
Sharif took his Pakistan Muslim League-N party out of the federal government in August 2008. So far his party has stopped short of calling for a vote of no-confidence in the government, which if passed, could force snap elections.