Lahore, Jan. 3 : The political game in Pakistan's Punjab Province is taking a new turn, with neither the PPP nor the PML-N willing to compromise or budge on their respective stances.

The Nation quotes political observers as saying that the distance between PPP Governor Salman Taseer and PML-N Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is widening with the passage of time and warns that a direct confrontation between them may create a new problem, especially for the province and for the country in general.

The PPP and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) romance seems to be over in Punjab, as Governor Taseer has received a go-ahead from PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to work for an alliance between the PPP and the PML-Q.

According to sources, President Asif Ali Zardari still wants to take the provincial leadership (of Punjab) on board before authorising Taseer to strike a deal with PML-Q.

Prior to the first death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto, the PPP leadership in Punjab had stepped up pressure on the Sharifs to give them their `due share' in the government, but the situation changed after a reported meeting of Nawaz Sharif with Pervaiz Elahi in Dubai which was denied by both the parties after reaching Lahore later on.

The sources claimed that heated exchanges between Sharif and Zardari contributed to the worsening of relations between the coalition partners.

''It appears that both major parties have reached to the point of no return in normalisation of relationship. In Punjab, the PPP is no longer in a mood to tolerate the PML-N government,'' sources said, adding that now it is time for the PPP to work in collaboration with the opposition and the forward bloc of the PML-Q.

The PML-Q is reportedly strongly placed and can claim the slot of chief minister in case its forward bloc comes back to its fold. (ANI)