LAHORE, Oct 24: Punjab PPP President Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of PPP’s participation in the all-party conference that the ruling party has proposed for consultation on a code of conduct and national reconciliation before elections.

“We will not attend the APC because the preparation of a code of conduct for elections is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and not that of any political party; we will participate in any such meeting if sponsored by the ECP,” said Mr Qureshi at a news conference held after a meeting of the PPP’s provincial executive committee.

He said the party chairperson would not leave Pakistan; she would stay in the country to lead the party’s election campaign.

Flanked by Secretary-General Ghualm Abbas and information secretary Farzana Raja, Mr Qureshi said Ms Bhutto would ‘soon’ visit Punjab. She would be given a rousing reception in every town and city of the province.

He said the PPP was not interested in attending the APC due to the ‘hostile’ attitude of the ruling party.

The statements being issued by Shujaat Husain and Pervaiz Elahi, he said, were in no manner helping to create an atmosphere of national reconciliation; they were rather vitiating the political situation by maligning the country’s largest party.

He said in the FIR got registered in regard to Karachi blasts, the PPP had nominated no one as accused. The allegation of Shujaat that the PPP had held the chief ministers of Punjab and Sindh responsible for the blasts was baseless.