ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: Reportedly upset over the ongoing war of words between Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, President Pervez Musharraf sent his top aide Tariq Aziz to Lahore this week for detailed talks with the PML president.

Talking to Dawn, Chaudhry Shujaat confirmed the meeting but said it was a matter of routine.

He, however, said: “The PML will contest the coming elections (against the PPP) and was ready to give tough time to its rivals”. He said he wanted reconciliation talks with all parties, and not with just one party.

PML sources, however, termed the Lahore talks more than a routine meeting, adding that both stuck to their position on the issue of reconciliation with the PPP. While Mr Tariq Aziz insisted that talks with the PPP were part of a process of political reconciliation which the president wanted with all parties, Chaudhry Shujaat said it would damage the ruling PML, the sources said.

Mr Aziz, according to the sources, conveyed president’s annoyance to the PML chief over his outbursts against Benazir Bhutto, but failed to persuade him to support the power-sharing talks with the PPP which, Chaudhry Shujaat considered, could make the ruling PML rudderless. The president’s aide tried to assure him on behalf of the president that any understanding with the PPP did not mean the abandoning the ruling party or harming it politically. The PML leader, however, was of the view that the two parties could not work together.

Chaudhry Shujaat, who had a telephonic conversation with President Musharraf on Monday after the meeting with Mr Aziz, is expected to call on him along with Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi on Wednesday to apprise him of the party’s reservations regarding concessions extended to the PPP.

The PML chief, the sources said, told Tariq Aziz that he would not accept undue concessions to the PPP. He said the government action could hurt parties in the ruling coalition and affect their alliance in the next elections. He also apprised Tariq Aziz of the resentment the party leadership had expressed about reconciliation with the PPP.

Tariq Aziz, the sources said, told Chaudhry Shujaat that he had held negotiations with the PPP under president’s advice and he should talk to the president if he had any reservations.

He did not agree with the PML leader that reconciliation talks were being held only with the PPP and said he was willing to talk to other political parties if the president asked him to do that.

However, the sources said the president’s aide wanted Chaudhry Shujaat to avoid criticising Ms Bhutto and not to spoil the hard work the presidential team was doing to forge an understanding with the PPP before the elections.

The sources said the PML chief had asked his party leadership be ready for a tough electoral fight with the PPP. He had decided to formally apply for the party ticket and was expected to visit the party secretariat along with other leaders to launch the party’s election campaign, the sources said.

The sources also told Dawn that the PML chief had decided to use all options, including a patch-up with the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) to thwart Ms Bhutto’s ambitions of capturing power through the backdoor. They said the ruling party was prepared to hold reconciliation talks with Nawaz Sharif.