LAHORE, June 14: A dramatic shift in the attitude of the PML(QA) on Friday paved the way for the merger of about half a dozen factions of the Pakistan Muslim League, which also agreed to establish contact with their arch rival PML(N) as a last-ditch effort to bring all groups on the same platform before the October general elections.

According to a participant, it was proposed that the unified party should be named All Pakistan Muslim League and it should have a new set of office-bearers.

This means, a new president, a new secretary-general and other officials, as mutually agreed upon by the parties.

One faction proposed that a council, comprising nominees of all factions, should be formed to elect new office-bearers.

PML(QA) Secretary-General Gohar Ayub Khan said after an extended meeting with leaders of other groups that all participants had agreed on merging their factions and they would recommend to their respective presidents to meet within ten days to finalize modalities.

“We’ll ask our presidents that they should meet and conclude their session only when they have completed their task (of working out modalities),” said the former foreign minister in the presence of leaders of other factions.

The meeting was participated in by PML-QA’s Gohar Ayub Khan and Azeem Chaudhry, Functional Muslim League’s Rana Muhammad Ashraf Khan, PML(Chattha)’s Sardar Assef Ahmad Ali, PML(Jinnah)’s Chaudhry Muhammad Farooq and PML(Qasim)’s Saifullah Saif.

Azad Bin Haider of the Jinnah Muslim League could not participate in the meeting but he has assured other factions that he would abide by their decisions. Sardar Nasrullah of the Council Muslim League, now in the United States, has already given a blank cheque to the Functional Muslim League for any decision on his behalf.

Gohar Ayub said that it was for the heads of the respective factions to decide whether they needed assistance of their provincial chiefs and the committee members to take their decisions.

When a reporter pointed out that some leaders of the PML-QA had been insisting that their party would not agree to changing its organizational structure, Gohar Ayub Khan said his party would adhere to any decision taken by the heads of all factions.

However, PML-QA leader Chaudhry Shujaat Husain told Dawn after being briefed by Mr Gohar Ayub Khan that the party would not agree to changing its office-bearers. He said the party was now gearing up for the election campaign after which it was not possible for it to change its office-bearers, elected under the constitution.

According to a participant, it was proposed that an ad hoc council of 150 members should be set up to elect a new president. The proposer said that the PML-QA should nominate 50 people, and the Functional Muslim League and the PML(C) should jointly contribute 50 with the remaining 50 left to the discretion of the other factions.

It is said that there was no opposition to the proposal, although a formal decision on it would be taken by the heads of the parties.

PML(N) Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq told Dawn that his party would offer its comments on the merger proposal only when it was formally received.