LAHORE, March 19: The seat-adjustment talks between two former partners in the federal coalition government have come to a halt after the PML-Q showed its annoyance over the ‘efforts’ being made by the PPP to woo its (Q’s) strong potential candidates.

The seat-adjustment committees of both parties on Tuesday met at the Governor’s House. Unlike the previous meetings in which they discussed district-wise seats of national and provincial assemblies, the PML-Q members expressed strong reservations at what they called the PPP leadership’s efforts to woo its potential candidates.

“Yes, the seat-adjustment talks have come to a halt as we have reservations regarding the PPP’s move to woo our potential candidates,” PML-Q leader Basharat Raja, who is a member of the committee, told Dawn.

Relations between the two former coalition partners turned sour after the PPP allegedly tried to lure PML-Q’s potential candidates like Ahmed Yar Hiraj, Faisal Saleh Hayat, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Anwar Cheema and Mushtaq Cheema.

The PML-Q feels hurt after its former minister Sardar Bahadur Sehar from Layyah swallowed the PPP’s bait and joined it.

“Enough is enough. The PPP is targeting the PML-Q’s strong candidates after its failure to attract those of PML-N. Our party cannot get along the PPP in the coming elections unless the latter stops making our potential candidates switch loyalties, especially in Punjab,” a PML-Q leader reportedly told the PPP members in the meeting.

The PML-Q was under the impression that the issue (of wooing its leaders) had been settled after the intervention of President Asif Ali Zardari, the PPP co-chairman. Earlier, there were reports that PPP central Punjab president Manzoor Wattoo was tasked to contact the PML-Q bigwigs interested in changing loyalties. Apparently, the Chaudhrys of Gujrat had managed to get Wattoo snubbed by his boss over the issue.

But, in the latest move, the PPP leadership is reportedly inviting the Q leaders to Islamabad in a bid to lure them to party fold and the Chadhrys have no one to turn to register their complaint.

PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain had reportedly asked his party committee to convey a clear message to the PPP that such intrigues would not be tolerated and his party might consider other options.

“We hope President Zardari will address our reservations. The PPP will have to demonstrate that it is serious in talks. There is no use of seat-adjustment talks if the PPP continues to lure our candidates,” Basharat Raja said, adding it was election time and all parties had their options for new alliances.

PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira said: “Misunderstandings between the PPP and PML-Q will soon be removed. Both parties will contest the coming elections jointly.”

Kaira said that in the meeting both parties had expressed their reservations on some issues. To a question, he said option to make alliances with other parties was open for all.