LAHORE, Oct 23: The JUI(F) claims that the PPP has assured it that it will not put up any candidate against Maulana Fazlur Rahman for the prime minister’s slot.

The party, a constituent of the six-member Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal, has also offered Balochistan’s chief ministership to the PML(Q) as a bargain to win its backing for Maulana Fazl.

The party secretary-general Maulana Abdul Gafoor Haidri told Dawn on Wednesday that PPP chief, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, held a two-hour meeting with Fazlur Rahman in Islamabad last night and told him that his party would extend him unconditional support in his run for the prime minister’s slot.

“The Makhdoom said that his party would not field any candidate against him even if the MMA decides to form government with the cooperation of the PML(Q),” Haidri claimed.

Asif Ali Zardari, the jailed spouse of Ms Benazir Bhutto, had also sent a message to the effect, he said.

Answering a question, he said Ms Bhutto was issuing statements against religious forces due to some compulsions. He declined to elaborate. However, sources said Ms Bhutto had agreed to support the MMA only after seeing the inclination of the establishment towards promoting Millat Party chief, Farooq Leghari, as the next premier.

Mr Leghari had, as President of Pakistan, ousted the PPP government in 1996 on corruption charges.

Mr Haidri said talks with the PML(Q) were also making headway as they had offered it Balochistan’s chief ministership in return for its support in the Centre.

The PML(Q) was insisting that as it was the largest party in the National Assembly, it had the right to form the government, he added. But it was told that general public wanted a change in the country and it was for this reason that they had voted the religious forces to the parliament and the Leaguers must respect their mandate, he added.

“We have so far made progress as constituents of the ARD, specially the PPP and the PML(N), are openly supporting us, while contacts with smaller parliamentary groups are also proving fruitful.”

According to him, even if the PML(Q) did not agree to go with the MMA, smaller groups would support the alliance to power as the PPP-Sherpao had also extended unconditional support in this regard.

He believed that the PML(Q) could not form government in Balochistan without the MMA backing as the JWP, the BNP, the BNM, the PPP and independent MPAs-elect were against it. “These parties and the independent MPAs have assured us that they will cooperate with the MMA provided it does not join hands with the PML(Q).”

The MMA claims that its parliamentary strength in Balochistan has increased to 16 after the joining of two independent MPAs.