LAHORE, Sept 15: Punjab PML-QA president Chaudhry Pervez Ellahi has pledged to extend all kind of support to Gen Pervez Musharraf when the latter seeks a presidential mandate in the parliament.

Speaking at Meet the Press programme here on Sunday, he said: “We say it boldly that the incumbent government has done good deeds. We are not like the hypocrites who have availed all privileges which the government could provide and are now speaking against it after becoming sure of their defeat in the October elections.”

He said the real electoral contest would be held between his party and the PPP, as “the PML-N had become a bogus subsidiary of the PPP”.

The PML-QA, if voted to power, would frame laws through the parliament instead of the office of president (ordinances), he said.

Hundreds of legal lacunas, like the necessity of paper work before treatment of the victim of an accident, were being studied and solid measures being suggested to remove them, he maintained.

He said a committee system like the one functional in the US Congress would be introduced in the Punjab Assembly to have a strong check on the performance of various departments. The step would strengthen foundations of the House and add to its respect, he claimed.

He said laws would be introduced to prohibit mudslinging to save precious time of the parliament as well as its reputation.

Answering a question, Mr Pervez said the party elders had tried to award all tickets unanimously. In some places, the people who had been denied party tickets were contesting as independent candidates. A team had been formed to approach these candidates and persuade them into retiring in favour of the PML-QA nominees, he said.

Replying to a question about sovereignty of the future parliament, he said the war between the president and the prime minister for attaining powers had already caused much damage to the country while the powers so attained were always misused.

He said he believed that a system with checks and balances would work more efficiently.

He told a questioner that a house of graduates could not be expected to repeal the condition of graduation for contesting elections.

About electoral adjustments with other parties, he said 98 per cent of the work had been completed with the National Alliance in the Punjab while PML-J president Hamid Nasir Chattha had been extended moral support by his party which had not fielded any candidate against him in Gujranwala.

He refuted PML-QA central president Mian Azhar’s claim that the party had to put up his brother Mian Ashraf for NA-124, because Kamil Ali Agha was a weak candidate.

Chaudhry Pervez proudly observed that most of the PML-QA nominees or their elders had been winning seats in the past. However, he became defensive when asked if it implied that the party was promoting politics of inheritance.

To another question, he said the personal vote bank of an applicant had also been given due consideration while awarding tickets.

About newcomers in the party, he said there was no legal bar on changing loyalties: “If a person decides to join a party, we cannot prohibit him from doing so.”

He denied claims of other politicians that the government was indulging in pre-poll rigging and projecting the PML-QA. “No government can afford a rigged election after seeing its aftermath in 1977.”

He chided Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan who, he said, had levelled “baseless” allegations against the government as well as the Chaudhrys of Gujrat. He alleged that the cricketer-turned-politician wanted to become a “direct Havaldar” but had started venomous propaganda against the government when his dreams did not materialize.

He challenged the authenticity of Mr Khan’s educational certificates and distributed photocopies of his credentials among reporters. However, he said, his party would not raise the issue before the Election Commission for it wanted to defeat him in the political field.