LAHORE, Aug 3: PML-N parliamentary party leader in the Punjab Assembly Rana Sanaullah has advised the party leadership to relax the policy and let such ‘turncoats’ return to the party fold as give an undertaking not to change loyalty in the future.

He told reporters here on Friday that a discussion was already going on in the party that ‘harmless turncoats’ should be allowed to rejoin.

In his assessment, the PML-N still had huge following in urban areas, although the position in rural areas was not that strong because many of its leaders had changed loyalties after the 1999 coup.

The party, he claimed, would not face any problem in finding candidates for all seats.

Rana Sana said his party wanted that all constituents of the All Parties Democratic Movement should either boycott the upcoming elections or put up joint candidates against what he called the establishment-backed contenders.

He said a joint line of action by the opposition parties would shatter the dreams of the ruling party.

He did not see a bright future for the ruling party, and said the PML-Q had been floated by dictatorship for its own interests. Now that times were changing, he believed, many of its leaders would either join the PPP or the PML-N. A few leaders who were acceptable both to the PPP and the PML-N would stand isolated, he said.

Rana Sana said the petition moved in the Supreme Court showed that Nawaz Sharif was quite seriously thinking of returning to Pakistan and taking part in the election.

He was critical of the PPP’s ‘deal talks’ with Gen Musharraf, and said at a time when a more potent struggle was needed to bring down dictatorship, the PPP leadership was trying to join hands with it. Now, he said, there was no difference left between the PPP and the ruling PML.

He advised the PPP to review its policy and work from the ARD’s platform, adhering to the Charter of Democracy, signed by the coalition parties in London more than a year ago.

He said cooperation between the ARD and the APDM would be in the interest of the democratic struggle.

He said all opposition lawmakers should quit the assemblies in case Gen Musharrf tried to seek re-election, and make the entire process doubtful, controversial.

If the opposition legislators did not participate, the presidential election would lose its credibility, he said.