GUJRANWALA, Dec 10: The Pakistan Muslim League (Q) on Monday withdrew its candidate for the NA-96 seat in favour of a Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) nominee in what appeared to be a seat-adjustment move.

The PML (Q) had fielded Imtiaz Bhutta, a close associate of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, for the seat. The party leadership has asked Mr Bhutta to withdraw from that race in favour of JUI’s Qazi Hamidullah who had won the seat in the 2002 election on MMA ticket.

PML (Q) sources said Ch Pervaiz Elahi was not in favour of the arrangement but had to relent at the insistence of President Pervez Musharraf.

Although Chaudhry Shujjat Hussain had indicated a couple of weeks ago the possibility of a seat-adjustment arrangement with the JUI (F) in the NWFP, the PML (Q) and its mentors had to revise the party’s strategy after the PML (N) announced to contest the polls.

PML (Q) sources said that more seat adjustments were likely with the JUI (F) in a couple of days