LAHORE, Jan 22: Federal Railway Minister Rashid Ahmad said the ruling PML had finalised a ‘comprehensive strategy’ viz-a-viz general election, adding that an ‘IJI-type’ alliance would be formed before the polls.

However, he parried questions that who would form the alliance and which parties would be included in it. “Everybody knows who forms such alliances,” he said when insisted to elaborate.

Talking to media after opening a training workshop for teachers here at Pakistan Railways Lady Griffin Girls High School, he said Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto were using each other for their respective political ends.

“Their hypocrisy has been exposed by the so-called All Parties’ Conference convened by the PML-N as its future still hangs in balance due to negative signals from the PPP,” he added.

Admitting that the PPP enjoyed a large vote-bank, he, however, said there were no chances of Ms Bhutto becoming prime minister for the third time.

To seek share in power, he said, the PPP would have to strike a deal with the government on the terms set by President Gen Musharraf.

“No deal will be finalised against the president’s will.”

He claimed that Shahbaz Sharif was making efforts to reserve a berth for himself in Pakistan’s politics, but, added that “the naïve decisions” made by his elder brother Nawaz Sharif had destroyed everything for him.

To a question, he asserted that nobody would resign from parliament, and if someone took the step just one or two weeks prior to the completion of the assemblies’ tenure, it would not have any impact on the president’s election.

The elections, he added, would be held on time provided there was no emergency.

He said the existing assemblies would re-elect the president before being dissolved for general election.

He told the media that the president’s Middle East tour was of prime importance in terms of Iraq and Afghanistan issues.