LAHORE, Sept 25: Tehrik-i-Istaqlal president Rehmat Khan Wardag has said the assemblies have lost the rationale for their existence as MPs are taking interest in their personal tasks instead of lawmaking. The houses which could not maintain a quorum deserved to be dissolved, he told a press conference here on Sunday.

Welcoming MMA leaders’ recent meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, he said it meant that talks with the opposition had been re-opened and something was being cooked behind the scene.

He urged the government to hold direct talks with the opposition to steer the country out of a crisis it was in.

He claimed that the tussle between the prime minister and the Chaudhrys had intensified owing to alleged rigging in the local elections in Punjab, being abhorred even by the president.

He said Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi wanted to become prime minister and the local polls were rigged to bring his men to the fore who could help achieve the target. He said for the purpose, attempts were being made to hold general elections prior to 2007.

The opposition parties should hold responsible provincial governments for rigging in the local polls and demand action against them, he said.

Wardag sought holding of direct election to tehsil and district nazim slots to check the use of money in bagging votes for the third but indirect phase of local polls.

He reiterated his demand of setting graduation as qualification for district and intermediate for tehsil nazim.

Expressing concern at the poor law and order, he said it was because of unemployment and price hike, and the two menaces could be easily checked by building mega projects like Kalabagh and Bhasha dams.

He was critical of the Tehrik-i-Insaaf’s all parties conference in which a resolution against the Kalabagh dam was adopted.

Senior vice-president Shah Mohammad Khan, Malik Hamid Sarfaraz and Akhtar Hashmi were also present on the occasion.