LAHORE, Dec 21: Talks between leaders of the PPP, the PML-N and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) held here on Saturday to field joint candidates in the Jan 15 bypolls remained inconclusive.

The talks were held on joint candidates for two Punjab Assembly seats in Lahore and one National Assembly seat in Rawalpindi and Bhakkhar districts each.

MNA Liaquat Baloch and Hafiz Idrees represented the MMA in the meeting while the PPP was represented by Qasim Zia, Naveed Chaudhry and Mian Misbahur Rahman, and the PML-N by Zulfikar Khosa, Tehmina Daultana and MNAs Khwaja Saad Rafiq and Pervaiz Malik.

The meeting took a seat-to-seat review of the candidates and their respective party’s position in the constituency.

Both the PPP and the PML-N were agreed to launch joint candidates against the PML-Q from all seats but the MMA was not ready to surrender its claim over one PA seat from Lahore (PP-147).

In the Punjab, bypolls will be held on five NA and 14 PP seats.

The participants decided to meet again after three days as the MMA said that they would put the situation before the provincial body of the six-party religious alliance for a final decision.

Mr. Rafiq said the ARD, of which both the PPP and the PML-N are members, would launch joint candidates from all seats and hoped that the MMA would also join them in the fight against the king’s party in the bypolls.

He said they had offered support to the MMA for two PA seats — one in Taxila and the other in Layyah. However, they wanted one PA seat from Lahore too.

According to him, of the five NA seats two would go to the PPP, one to the PML-N and one to some independent candidate, Efforts were on to put up a joint nominee for the Rawalpindi seat, which was so far open to all the three parties —- the PPP, the PML-N, and the MMA, he said.

Mr.Baloch hoped that the alliance would solve the issue of electoral cooperation with the two other parties before the last date for withdrawal of candidatures.

He said the meeting had helped in creating understanding among the participants.

The meeting expressed concern over the government’s alleged efforts to rig the bypolls.

It also agreed to launch a combined struggle against the Legal Framework Order (LFO) and for the restoration of 1973 Constitution.