LAHORE, June 11: Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Husain vehemently opposed on Tuesday the demands for the formation of an interim government to ensure free and fair elections and the appointment of a full-time army chief.

Talking to reporters at his residence, he said it was time to elect a “full time” prime minister and not to appoint an army chief. The matter of a new army chief, he said, concerned the army and not political parties. The demand, he said, also lacked justification as politicians were not supposed to play the role of the army.

The former interior minister said there was just no possibility of manipulating elections even if there was no interim government. The consequences of the 1977 election rigging were an eye-opener for everybody.

He believed that regardless of border situation, elections would be held on schedule. If in some countries elections could be held even during wars, why was it not possible for Pakistan to stick to the election schedule.

He rejected reports that an interim government was being set up or that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was being appointed caretaker chief minister of the Punjab.

Punjab PML(QA) president Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi denied reports that the district Nazims were being given some role to ensure the victory of pro-government candidates. He said since a majority of the Nazims belonged to the PML(QA) there was no need for the government to send such a signal.

“This is the reason opposition parties don’t believe that the elections will be free and fair”, a reporter suggested. Mr Elahi, a former minister for local government, recalled that local elections had been going on since 1979. He said local councillors had never influenced the general elections.

Asked whether President Musharraf should meet former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in the interest of national unity, Chaudhry Shujaat said both had become irrelevant to the situation. He said there was no bar on Ms Bhutto’s return, but Mr Sharif had left the country under an agreement.

He said Gen Musharraf had not gone to the UAE and Saudi Arabia to meet the former premiers.

Answering a question, the former interior minister claimed that if the PML(QA) had not mobilized the electorate the polling stations would have worn a deserted look on April 30. He said his party and its allies had done their best to bring voters to polling stations. He said the party had played its role on its own initiative and had not been assigned a role by the government.

In response to another question, he said the PML(QA) was ready for “merger” of all PML factions but would not dissolve its organizational structure for the purpose. He said leaders of other factions could be given important positions in the PML(QA).

Pervaiz Elahi said there were several central and provincial offices against which leaders from other factions could be accommodated.

Chaudhry Shujaat said the party could make electoral adjustments with the National Alliance but not join it. Since the Pakistan Awami Tehrik had joined the NA, its earlier alliance with the PML(QA) had become infructuous.

He said the PPP was the PML(QA)’s main rival.