July 15, 2007	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Sani 29, 1428

OKARA, July 14: Pakistan People’s Party Punjab president Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the PPP is not banking on the support of the US or the establishment. Qureshi was speaking at a press conference held at the district PPP office at Central Benazir Avenue.

Earlier, Qureshi was warmly welcomed by a large number of political workers, including those hoping to get party tickets and those who had declared to join the party such as Defence Minister Rao Sikandar’s cousin, UC nazim Rao Fiyyaz Aslam, Renala tehsil nazim Akram Bhatti, MPA Malik Nazar Farid Khokhar’s nephew Malik Moazzam Ghias Khokhar and seven others officials from various union councils.

Qureshi said that Benazir Bhutto might think about joining the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) if the MMA quit the NWFP and Balochistan governments, adding that the existing parliament had no moral, legal or constitutional base for the presidential election.

He made it clear that the PPP would use all options, including resignations from parliament, but the time to tender resignations would be decided by Benazir Bhutto.

Qureshi said that APDM could not be termed a pure opposition alliance since one of its components, the MMA, remained a part of the government and had earned a bad name for making the passage of the 17th amendment possible.

He said the PPP would adopt a fresh line of action after Makhdoom Amin Fahim returned to the country. To a query, Qureshi said that both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif had made a pledge to stay in the ARD. He also said that the party would be strengthened as more and more people were joining the party.

Earlier, the provincial party leaders hoisted the PPP flag on the office building.

Those present on the occasion included: opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Qasim Zia, Punjab PPP General Secretary Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas, Lahore division president Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, and former provincial ministers Rana Ikram Rabbani.