ISLAMABAD, March 11: The Pakistan Muslim League-Q finally agreed on Wednesday to cooperate with the Pakistan People’s Party in formation of the government in Punjab and in the election of the Senate chairman.

Sources told Dawn the government had offered the post of Punjab chief minister to the PML-Q and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had agreed to withdraw his candidature for the Senate chairmanship.

The understanding, reached at a meeting between Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Chaudhrys of Gujrat, will pave the way for lifting of the governor’s rule in Punjab.

The sources noted the meeting took place hours after US Ambassador Anne W Patterson had called on PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and discussed ways and means with him to defuse the prevailing political situation.

Special US envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Hollbrooke held a meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and expressed concern over the political situation arising out of disqualification of the Sharif brothers and imposition of the governor’s rule in Punjab and the long march and sit-in planned by the lawyers community.

Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani also called on the prime minister and is believed to have discussed with him the current political situation.

Later, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called on President Asif Ali Zardari and briefed him about his discussions with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. The president is believed to have accorded approval to the deal.

The decision is likely to result in unopposed election of PPP’s candidate Farooq H. Naek as the Senate chairman and PML-Q’s Jan Mohammad Jamali as his deputy.The decision has offended the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F, which had planned to field Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri as its candidate for the top Senate slot.

However, after Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Rehman Malik held a meeting with JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman, the latter agreed to withdraw his candidate. It is believed that in return the JUI will get one or two more ministries at the centre.The election for the Senate chairman and deputy chairman will be held on Thursday.

The PPP is the largest party in the Senate with 28 members in a house of 100. It is followed by the PML-Q with 21 Senators, the JUI with 10, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Awami National Party have six each.

The PML-N has seven seats.

Before the election, 50 Senators-elect will take oath. Twenty-one of them have been elected unopposed.
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