LAHORE, Oct 29: The first Punjab parliamentary party meeting of the PPP was held here on Tuesday with acting secretary-general Raza Rabbani alleging that the government was deliberately delaying sessions of the national and provincial legislatures to enable the PML-Q to bring more legislators-elect to its fold.

Speaking to participants in the meeting at the residence of provincial president Qasim Zia, he demanded that the assemblies should be convened immediately as notification of all members-elect had already been issued by the Election Commission.

Today’s PPP meeting was mainly an introductory meeting where the legislators-elect also spoke briefly in the presence of party leadership.

Qasim Zia and information secretary Naveed Chaudhry were also among speakers.

Some of the members suggested that Qasim Zia should be elected as leader of the parliamentary party. However, Raza Rabbani said leaders of the central and provincial parliamentary parties would be nominated by Ms Benazir Bhutto at an appropriate time.

Abdul Qadir Shaheen’s resolutions reiterating confidence in the leadership of Ms Bhutto, demanding withdrawal of all cases and references against the PPP leaders and calling for immediate sessions of the assemblies were unanimously adopted.

Raza Rabbani said Makhdoom Amin Fahim had held talks with other parties with prior permission from Ms Bhutto to explore the possibility of forming government without sacrificing the ARD’s principles. Lending support to any other party in forming government with the PPP being free to support or oppose it on any issue on merit basis, and sitting on opposition benches were other options available to the party.

Mr Rabbani said although the PPP had different point of view on various issues, it could support the MMA on the basis of matters on which they had identical opinion.

He opposed the proposed move to relax the law on floor crossing to allow legislators-elect of various parties to join hands with the PML-Q to enable it to form government.

Provincial president Qasim Zia rejected as rubbish press reports that some PPP members planned to set up a forward bloc. No such move was on the cards, he claimed.

He demanded that Chaudhry Shujaat Husain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi should be disqualified as legislators-elect as they had violated the law by having their loans written-off. Mr Zia also claimed that there was no difference of opinion on who should be the parliamentary party leader in the Punjab.

Secretary-general Rana Aftab Khan said the PPP was willing to sit on opposition benches if so decided by Ms Bhutto.

Information secretary Naveed Chaudhry said cooperation with Gen Pervez Musharraf was not possible unless cases against Ms Bhutto and other party leaders were withdrawn and the 1973 Constitution restored.