LAHORE, Oct 17: The PML (Jinnah) on Thursday parted ways with the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and declared its support for the PML-Q in its efforts to form its government in the Punjab.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of PML-J leaders Manzoor Wattoo, Saeed Ahmad Manais and others with Punjab PML-Q president Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

Party’s legislators-elect Robina Shaheen Wattoo, Chaudhry Farooq, Asif Saeed Manais and Iftikhar Husain, who were also present at the meeting, would now sit with the PML-Q.

Mr Wattoo said in a statement the political situation demanded national consensus for which all parties should play their role.

Saeed Manais defended the party decision, saying the ARD had been set up for the restoration of democracy and with the completion of the electoral process the target stood achieved.

MNA-elect Mian Farhan Latif and MPAs-elect Brig Javed Akram (retired), Liaquat Ali Shaukat and Sibtain Sipra joined the PML-Q on Thursday.

PML-N: The PML-N will not let anyone assail the Constitution, parliament and democracy no matter which party forms government, party’s secretary-general Khwaja Saad Rafiq said on Thursday.

In a press statement, he said instead of becoming a part of the national government the rulers were trying to put together, the PML-N would prefer to sit on opposition benches and hold the government accountable for its wrong steps.

Saad warned that parties which would join the proposed setup only to legitimize the military rule would face the public wrath.