KARACHI, Oct 15: While a scramble for power among the major elected parties is on, a senior Pakistan People’s Party official said on Tuesday any adjustment with the PML(Q) was not plausible.

“An alliance with the PML(Q) appears to be far off, vague and not plausible, but we are exploring all avenues,” said the PPP deputy secretary-general, Raza Rabbani, when contacted by Dawn to know whether, in view of the probing mission of Amin Fahim, it was possible for the PPP to enter into an alliance with the PML(Q).

He said that the PPP was in a position to form the federal government and for that matter it was weighing various options while meeting political leaders.

Mr Rabbani also took exception to some federal ministers’ act of making policy statements, especially concerning oath, after the elections. He asked them point-blank to stop making such statements, “which is now the prerogative of the elected parliament.”

He emphasized that the ministers should have resigned after the polls instead of creating confusion about oath. He said the oath will be administered under the 1973 Constitution.

Meanwhile, he announced that the PPP Central Executive will meet here on Oct 22. The PPP leaders would report to the CEC on their contact missions and a final decision would be taken at that platform.

A strong element in the PPP is of the view that instead of forming government with handicaps, it would be prudent to sit on the opposition benches, possibly along with the MMA.

Meanwhile, as Amin Fahim is busy in making exploratory contacts at the federal level, the provincial chief of the PPP in Sindh, Nisar Khuhro, has had serious contacts with the independents, whose joining the party would not only enhance its numbers in the house but also improve its position vis-a-vis women seats and senators. But it was not clear yet how far these “serious contacts” had progressed.

Initial telephonic contacts have also been made with the MQM which has not yet taken any concrete reciprocal steps. Many PPP leaders were skeptical about the MQM attitude because of their past experience.

There is a strong section of the MQM leadership which is critical of the PPP and would like to have no truck with it. Instead, they prefer a relationship with the PML(Q). This lobby believes that confrontation with the regime had not paid off and its activists and leadership had suffered a lot as a result.

They believe that it is time to be on the side of the ruling party so that its activists could benefit from this strategy and be saved from having a rough deal.

It appears that the MQM hardliners have prevailed over the moderates who had advocated forging of an understanding with the PPP, whether it forms the government or sits in opposition.

If the MQM decides to be on the right side of the regime at the federal level, it might come closer to acquiring chief minister’s slot, provided it succeeds in mustering support and willingness of each and every member of the anti-PPP platform, including the independents.

In view of its sizable number in the provincial assembly, the MQM’s tilt towards the pro-regime setup could erode its support in the rural as well as urban areas of the province and add to its problems.

On the other hand, the PPP is confident that nobody can stop it from forming government in the province. The Muttahdia Majlis-i-Amal leaders have had more than one meetings with the PPP leaders at the provincial level and they are not talking turkey. They are probably discussing various options, whether being part of the government or sitting on the opposition benches.

Now that the MMA is assured of chief ministership of the NWFP and Balochistan, formation of government led by the PPP in Sindh could add to the problems of the federal government, particularly for Gen Musharraf, because it would have a direct bearing on the working of the National Security Council.

The outcome in Sindh is linked with the arrangements at the Centre and the picture there is still not clear.