ISLAMABAD, Nov 14: Veteran leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q who are campaigning to oust the Chaudhrys of Gujrat from the party leadership appear to be giving up the hope of early party elections. They blame what they call the ‘forces of status quo’ which support Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi. The sources in the group led by Mr Hamid Nasir Chattha claim that the Chaudhrys may not convene a meeting of the central executive and central working committees of the party because most members of the committees support them.

PML-Q’s media adviser Mustafa Malik said that party leaders were being consulted and a decision to convene the meeting would be taken “in due course of time”.

Azim Chaudhry, a front-line leader of the Chattha-led faction, however, claimed that nine of the 15 senior vice-presidents and nine of the 13 vice-presidents were on their side and his faction would prevail if the meeting was convened.

Azim Chaudhry said his group was determined to keep the party intact and was not after grabbing important party offices.

He said their group was acting on the basis of an understanding that early party election would be called after Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi concluded a round of meetings with district-level office bearers in Punjab.

Another senior party leader, Iqbal Dar, told Dawn that under the party’s constitution, primary elections should be held to constitue a new general council which could hold fresh party elections at the provincial and central levels.

He said that if the elections were not held properly, the party’s hierarchy could manipulate the general council, comprising district councillors, in its favour.

He said that Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi, who wanted to replace Chaudhry Shujaat as president of the party, might be working on a ‘fabricated list’ of general council members in his Punjab meetings and might announce elections without consulting senior party leaders.

Mr Dar said that most party leaders were against the candidature of Chaudhry Pervaiz.

He claimed that Chaudhry Shujaat had accepted Mr Chattha’s proposals but backed out because of his cousin’s opposition.