LAHORE, May 11: PML leader Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo says the April 18 meeting of various party leaders held at his residence was for the betterment of the party and not for replacing Chaudhry Shujaat Husain as president. Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, he said participants of the meeting had discussed the situation after the merger of their respective parties with the PML.

Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari, Hamid Nasir Chattha, Ijazul Haq and Manzoor Wattoo had participated.

Mr Wattoo said all the leaders wanted to strengthen the PML as they had sacrificed their parties and offices for the sake of it. They had discussed various steps to reform the party and remove its weaknesses. They also underlined the need for a culture of consultations at all tiers and for augmenting the party’s ability to solve the people’s problems.

Mr Wattoo said it was the duty of the ruling party to live up to the expectations of the people, and that the meeting he had hosted had exchanged views on what should be done to make the PML a more popular party.

Participants also discussed the reported contacts between President Musharraf and the PPP of Benazir Bhutto.

They thought that the PML should be strengthened to the extent that the president did not feel the need for contacting any other party, and in case he still did, the PML should have an upper hand.

After the meeting, Mr Wattoo said, Ijazul Haq was asked to convey the feelings of the participants to Chaudhry Shujaat Husain.

It was not a secret meeting, the former Punjab chief minister said, adding it was also not against anybody. According to him, Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was also aware of it.