ISLAMABAD, Dec 9: In their first show of strength, members of the so-called forward bloc in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League called on the party’s president, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi to quit their party offices.

Speaking at their first press conference in the Parliament House cafeteria, they appealed President Gen Pervez Musharraf to intervene and resolve the issue as soon as possible.

The press conference was attended by seven MNAs of the ruling PML and two members of the Pakistan People’s Party (Patriots).

Those who attended the press conference were MNAs Farooq Amjad Mir from Lahore, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Malik Allahyar Khan from Attock, Riaz Hussain Pirzada and Malik Farooq Azam from Bahawalpur, Mazhar Ahmed Qureshi from Sargodha, Akhtar Kanju from Lodhran, Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar from Lahore and Azhar Ahmed Yousafzai from Vehari. Mr Khokhar and Mr Yousafzai are members of the PPP (Patriots).

As a spokesman for the bloc, Farooq Amjad Mir said that party workers, MNAs, MPAs and all other office-bearers were dissatisfied over policies of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat. He said members of the forward bloc believed that if the party contested the next general elections under the present leadership, either the elections would have no credibility or the party would fail to put up any significant performance.

Mr Mir said that members of other allied parties also supported them. He said that chief of the PML-Functional Pir Pagara had also announced support for them.

He said that they were in contact with other party office-bearers and workers and would soon announce their future strategy. He said that they had no plan to go back from their stated position as they had closed the doors for their return.

Mr Mir said that good governance did not exist in Punjab and the performance of the provincial government would affect the results of the next elections.

When asked who did they want to be the next party president, Mr Mir said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz could take the party affairs into his hands. He, however, made it clear that it was not their demand.

When it was pointed out that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had himself praised the performance of the Punjab government and supported the Chaudhrys, Mr Mir said that they were confident that Gen Musharraf’s views about the Chaudhrys would change after a meeting with the forward bloc.

He claimed to have support of 22 members of parliament and said that more MNAs would soon join them.

He also claimed to have support of some members of the federal cabinet.

Asked if the forward bloc enjoyed the support from “Rawalpindiwalas”, Mr Mir said the group comprised politicians who were competent and did not need such support.