LAHORE, Aug 26: The PML-Q will not join hands with either the PML-N or the PPP and will contest the presidential election against both the parties, says a provincial office-bearer of the PML-Q.

Punjab PML-Q Secretary-General Chaudhry Zaheeruddin told Dawn that his party would also not side with both the former coalition partners in their power struggle in the province, and would prefer to continue to play the role of an opposition party.

“We are not prepared to compromise our stand at any cost,” he said, implying that it would not like to share power with both the parties.

The PML-Q leader said his party would follow a policy of equidistance from both the parties that stayed together for about five months before parting ways on Monday.

PML-N leaders are reportedly in contact with the PML-Q bigwigs for cooperation in the presidential election on Sept 6. The former is also seeking the latter’s support to frustrate any move by the PPP to bring down the Punjab government.

Zaheeruddin, who attended a meeting of his party leaders in Islamabad where the situation after the PPP-PML-N break-up came under discussion, criticised the PML-N for destabilising the state institutions without any reason.

The party, he alleged, was out to create a 1988-like situation when its government in Punjab was involved in the worst-ever confrontation with the PPP federal government. He warned that such a path was bound to lead to another Oct 12, a reference to the day when the PML-N government was dismissed by Gen Pervez Musharraf.

He said Mushahid Husain was a better candidate for the presidential office compared to the ones fielded by the PPP and the PML-N and would, therefore, try its level best to get him elected.

He said the PML-Q leadership was trying to bring members of the forward bloc back to the party fold. “We’ll request them to return to the party fold. We’ll receive them with open arms.”

According to him, only 18 MPAs had joined the forward bloc.

The PML-Q leader claimed that there was no forward bloc in the National Assembly. However, a couple of people in the Senate were not following the party policy.