News
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Musharraf hints at contacts with PPP
* Assures PML-Q MPAs of Centre’s help in completion of uplift projects even if PML-N forms government in Punjab
By Azaz Syed
ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf has hinted at the formation of a coalition government of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the Punjab. During his meeting with a 15-member group of MPAs-elect of the Punjab Assembly at President’s House on Saturday, Musharraf said that efforts were on to form a coalition government of PML-Q and PPP in the Punjab to ensure continuity of the ongoing development projects, especially in the constituencies of PML-Q MPAs. Talking to Daily Times, an MPA who attended the meeting, quoted the president as saying that the leaderships of both PPP and PML-Q were in contact with him and he was striving to cobble together an alliance of both parties for continuation of his policies. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Hamid Nasir Chattha led the MPAs, while another group of 15 PML-Q MPAs will meet him in the next few days. “President Musharraf has assured us that development projects in our constituencies would not stop even if PML-N made the government in the Punjab,” the MPA said. Party sources said President Musharraf assured full support of the Centre to the MPAs for completion of development works in their constituencies. They said the president looked confident and he did not discuss the opposition’s demands for his resignation. Musharraf is also likely to meet PML-Q MPAs-elect of Balochistan Assembly shortly. The sources said the basic purpose of the meeting was to keep the MPAs associated with the PML-Q and to clarify the rumours about his ouster. Presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi confirmed Musharraf’s meetings with PML-Q MPAs saying that the president was meeting the politicians “at their request”. Asked why being a neutral head of the state the president met PML-Q parliamentarians, he said, “Whosoever requests the president for meeting, he would meet him.”
Courtesy Daily Times