PML-N quits Pakistan's ruling coalition

The Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif Monday quit the ruling coalition over differences on the reinstatement of judges sacked by former president Pervez Musharraf and on who should replace him. Sharif said his Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) had decided to sit in opposition after Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the Pakistan People's Party, failed to honour his commitments. “We have taken this decision after we failed to find any ray of hope and none of the commitments made to us were fulfilled” by Zardari, he told a news conference. “This situation forced us to withdraw our support and sit on opposition benches,” he added. However he vowed to “continue struggle for restoration of judges and genuine democracy in Pakistan.” Sharif also announced that his party had decided to put up its own candidate against Zardari, nominated for the presidential slot by the PPP. He named retired Chief Justice of Pakistan Saeed uz Zaman Siddiqui as his party's candidate in the presidential polls scheduled for September 6