LAHORE, Oct 26: The PML-Q will prefer to form its government in cooperation with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, but in case the talks don’t make any headway, it will revive parleys with the PPP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement to form a “government of national consensus”, party’s central leader Chaudhry Shujaat Husain said here on Saturday.

Talking to Dawn at his residence, he said in case the MMA joined hands, the PML-Q would be willing to give religious parties representation in the provincial cabinets and discuss with an open mind who should be the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate and speakers and deputy speakers of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.

However, he said, the prime minister must come from the PML-Q as it had emerged as the biggest party.

The PML-Q has empowered Shujaat to nominate a candidate for prime minister, but so far he has not made up his mind. He said although he was trying to find a suitable person who could run the country when several challenges were lying ahead, it was not necessary that he would be chosen from some smaller province. He reiterated that he himself was not the candidate.

The MMA has emerged as a balancing power in the elections and, like the PML-Q, it is also keeping its options open, including that of joining hands with the PPP in return for a fair deal. In its talks the MMA is insisting that Maulana Fazlur Rehman should be elected prime minister of the coalition in the offing.

The next round of the PML-Q-MMA talks is scheduled for Monday in Islamabad.

Shujaat said a fragile coalition could be put in place in cooperation with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and some smaller parties, but his party would not adopt this course.

He said in case the MMA showed no flexibility in its attitude, the idea of a government of national consensus would be taken up afresh. He said the PML-Q and the PPP could certainly set up such a government, though it was not expected to last long.

The short-lived ‘courtship’ between the two political rivals was put on hold as ARD President Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan expressed his annoyance on the ground that the two sides were poles apart in their thinking and commitments.

Shujaat said in the earlier talks, the PPP had demanded prime ministership which the PML-Q was not willing to surrender at any cost. The talks, he said, had also failed as the strings of the party were being pulled from abroad.

In response to a question, he said the PPP had emerged as the biggest party in Sindh and it should be extended an invitation to form its government there.

But, he said, in the light of the same principle the right of forming government at the centre should go to the PML-Q.

He did not agree with the suggestion that transfer of power was being delayed. So far, he said, the National Assembly was not complete in its composition as women and minority seats were yet to be filled. In such a situation, he said power could not be handed over to the elected representatives.

Shujaat said in the prevailing situation all political parties were duty-bound to play their role to steer the country out of the crisis it was stuck up in. Otherwise, he said, everybody would be justified in alleging that they were not capable of watching national interests.

Replying to a question, the PML-Q leader said all legislators-elect should take oath under the Constitution, without embroiling themselves in the controversy of legality or otherwise of the Legal Framework Order.

He said once the parliament started functioning it would be free to make any amendment to the Constitution or strike down the ones already incorporated. But, he said, this was not the time to delay the restoration of democracy on any pretext.

About the possibility of some federal ministers contesting the Senate election from the PML-Q platform, Shujaat said like anybody else they too had the right to become members of the party apply for ticket. But, he said, decision on awarding or refusing them tickets would be taken by the party.