ISLAMABAD, Sept 13: Taking advantage of differences within the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) over the protest strategy in the National Assembly, some Patriots members have contacted several MNAs of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) offering them attractive political and material benefits in return for crossing over to their group, sources told Dawn on Saturday.

The sources said that the Patriots MNAs had contacted those members of the PPP who, during the ARD parliamentary party meetings, had time and again expressed their displeasure over continuing with the protest strategy of desk-thumping and slogan raising in the National Assembly.

The sources in the ARD claimed that a large number of PPP MNAs had flatly refused the offer of the Patriots. However, the sources confirmed that some of them were negotiating a ‘deal’ directly with the government and the talks at the moment were focused on the benefits they would get in return for defection.

The name of PPP MNA from Jacobabad, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, is on top of the purported list of those supposed MNAs who are at present negotiating with the government.

The sources said Mr Bijarani had been offered the post of a state minister on the condition that he would bring five MNAs with him.

They said Mr Bijarani, who had already given three MPAs to the Sindh government, was facing difficulty in convincing five PPP Parliamentarians to join the Patriots as he was not in a position to make any commitment to them on behalf of the government.

The meeting of Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani with Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali in Karachi on Friday evening has also perturbed the ARD leadership, which has constantly been denying reports of any rift within the alliance.

When contacted, Mr Bijarani confirmed that he had contacts with the Patriots, saying, “they are my old friends.” He, however, denied there was any plan to join the Patriots. He, however, complained that the ARD leadership did not take the members into confidence while taking decisions.

He said there was a large group of MNAs which was against the present policy of protest against the LFO.

When asked whether he had raised the issue in the ARD parliamentary meetings, Mr Bijarani said several other members had criticized the ARD leadership for its wrong policies, but nobody listened to them.