LAHORE, June 5: Talks for electoral adjustments with the Jamaat-i-Islami, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, the Awami National Party and the Pakistan People’s Party (Sherpao group) have made progress, Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam)’s provincial president Chaudhry Pervez Elahi said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a consultative meeting, he said the party would seek alliance with parties having an ideological and intellectual harmony with it.

Referring to the efforts for unification of various PML factions, he said his party supported the initiative. But, he made it clear, the PML (Functional) and PML(C) demand for changing the PML(QA)’s organizational structure was unacceptable.

About former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, the PML(QA) leader said they would not return to the country. Mr Sharif, he said, had left the country as a result of a 10-year deal and Ms Bhutto had cases pending against her. “They will contest the election on internet,” he said in a sarcastic tone.

He said the reports that the two former premiers would return before the elections were mere propaganda.

He directed party workers to launch a door-to-door campaign to ensure PML(QA) victory in the general elections.

He reiterated the demand that the government should do away with the condition that candidates taking part in the elections should be university graduates. He claimed that all parties were facing difficulty in finding candidates. If required, the party would take the matter to the Supreme Court.

Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri proposed that the PML-QA should consider an alliance only with the parties having their own vote bank. Cooperation with ‘non-entities,’ he warned, would be harmful.

Mr Kasuri said the leadership should not impose any candidate on the party. Instead, the decisions should be taken by consultation.