The reports that President Zardari reached an understanding with Chaudhry Shujaat on seat adjustment has perturbed several PPP leaders.—Reuters photo

LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party and the PML-Q have not yet finalised modalities of seat adjustment or alliance for the next general election.

“The leaderships of both the parties have agreed to discuss the alliance or seat adjustment for 2013 election after the passage of the budget next month,” an aide of President Asif Ali Zardari told Dawn on Monday.

“Though there is a speculation about PPP-PML-Q seat adjustment agreement but in fact this issue has not been touched by the leaderships of both parties,” he said, adding it would be too early to sort out modalities in this regard. At the moment only talks on the ministries for the Q-League had been concluded, he said.

Interestingly, the reports that President Zardari reached an understanding with Chaudhry Shujaat on seat adjustment has perturbed several PPP leaders like Qamar Zaman Kaira, Ahmed Mukhtar and Sahibzada Ghazanfar Gul from Gujrat, the home town of Chaudhrys.

These PPP leaders are reportedly mustering courage to warn the party co-chairman against making any commitment to the Q in this regard as this could not be done without consulting party leaders across the country.

“The election alliance or seat adjustment is a very delicate matter and requires through deliberations,” believes a PML-Q leader from Gujrat.

He said it would not be possible either for the Chaudhrys or the PPP stalwarts to surrender their native seats to accommodate each other’s candidates.

“Right now the PPP is concerned about strengthening its government and passage of the budget by taking the PML-Q onboard, while the latter is interested in consolidating its political position, especially in Punjab,” the Q leader said.

As the PML-Q became part of the government on Monday, a source in the Presidency said a Lahore-based media group owner, who is considered very close to President Zardari, brokered the deal between the parties.

The PPP circles call the gentleman in question a new ‘media adviser’ to the president. “He is also a relative of Chaudhrys. He has played an important role in making the PPP-PML-Q alliance possible,” the source said.