LAHORE, May 11: The ruling PML will enter into an alliance with the MMA in the NWFP and Balochistan in the forthcoming local elections, ignoring the fact that the religious alliance has launched a movement against the government.

Sources said the PML was already in coalition with the religious alliance in the two provinces, and there would be nothing unusual if the two sides cooperated with each other in the local polls.

The PML is confident of its victory in Punjab, where Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has already visited various districts to mobilize his party.

In NWFP and Balochistan, the ruling party is in a rather weak position because one province is under the exclusive MMA rule, while in the other the religious alliance is a coalition partner with the PML. In such a situation, some party leaders are of the view that the PML would not be in a position to get sufficient seats.

In Sindh, the PML and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement are already cooperating with each other.

The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy is the major rival of the ruling party. The ruling party says the opposition candidates will be provided with a level playing-field.

The schedule for the local elections will be announced after the announcement of the federal budget, sources said. They said the polls would be held in two phases in July and August.