ISLAMABAD, Nov 9: Differences among the People’s Party Parliamentarian (PPP) surfaced on Saturday when PPP MNA- elect, Faisal Saleh Hayat, declared that he is striving for formation of a ‘government of national consensus’ with Pakistan Muslim League-Q.

Talking to the reporters at an Iftar dinner hosted by PPP Secretary-General, Raja Pervez Ashraf, in the honour of newly-elected party members, Saleh Hayat categorically denied reports that he was forming a forward block in the party.

In the presence of almost entire leadership of the party including Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Mian Raza Rabbani, he said at a party meeting in Dubai, Benazir Bhutto had given him the mandate to negotiate and explore the possibility of forming a coalition government with PML-Q.

Faisal Hayat taking strong exception to the allegation of making a forward block, said those elements were actually maintaining double standards.

He wondered that when the party president held talks with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain or Zafarullah Jamali nobody would raise any objection.

About the constitutional issues, he said, the party changed its name under the laws formulated by the present regime and contested the election under its rules. He pointed out that the party’s members were elected to the district governments under the system introduced by the regime.

He called for pragmatism and said the party would have to adopt flexible attitude in the larger interest of the democratic system. He warned that if the political parties did not adopt a pragmatic approach, they would have to forget about the democratic system for a long time.

On a question about the decision taken at a joint meeting of party’s parliamentary group, federal council and central executive committee last week, he said no decision had been taken with regard to formation of government with PML-Q.

He said it would be the opinion of some individuals that PPP should not form government with PML-Q, but no such decision had been taken at the party level.

All the cases of corruption being faced by Asif Ali Zardari, he said, were framed by previous government of Pakistan Muslim League-N. When the party could arrive at an understanding with PML-N and work together at the platform of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) then why it could not sit in the government with PML-Q, he added.