LAHORE, Sept 12: Whosoever is the president, he will have to seek mandate from the parliament, says Tehrik-i-Istiqlal chairman Qaiser Ahmad Shaikh.

Referring to the April 30 presidential referendum held by Gen Pervez Musharraf, he said even if a president had been elected through any referendum he would have to get it indemnified by the parliament.

Mr Shaikh, who had been elected as an independent candidate in the 1997 polls, was speaking at ‘Meet the Press’ programme here on Thursday. The Tehrik is considered as a pro-government party for its close contacts with the PML-QA.

The TI chief also opposed the current composition of the National Security Council because of comparatively less representation of civilians in it, especially ministers of finance and commerce.

He told a questioner that he was supporting the NSC idea since it was given by Gen Jehangir Karamat.

He said he did not see any reason to rig the elections. “It is our habit to cry a foul after defeat.”

He rejected the assertion that he was saying so for he was loyal to the government. “Had I been a supporter of the army government, the PML-QA would not have fielded its candidates against me.”

Predicting that no party would get even a simple majority in the October polls, he said the Tehrik would support the party closer to its ideologies.

He said before joining the Tehrik-i-Istiqlal he had been approached to join the PML-QA. He did not elaborate who had contacted him for the purpose.

Mr Shaikh also claimed that besides leaders of other parties, Ms Benazir Bhutto had also hinted at projecting him as her party’s prime minister if he joined the PPP.

He denied that he had been directed any army officer to join the Tehrik-i-Istiqlal. He said Air Marshal Asghar Khan and incumbent TI president Rehmat Khan Vardag had met him after 1997 polls to convince him to join the TI. But he refused on the plea that his electorate had elected him as an independent candidate.

He said the TI had not so far struck electoral adjustments with any party, however, talks in this regard were continuing.

Admitting that despite producing a good number of renowned politicians his party had never been able to get representation in the house, Mr Shaikh said its team was now so strong that it could give positive results in the forthcoming elections.

He regretted that people would usually talk against feudal lords who, he said, were one of the major causes behind the country’s problems, in their drawing rooms but would never come out to face them in the open.

But, he said, he was facing the feudals in Jhang district as his party wanted to promote the middle class even if it failed to achieve any worthwhile success in the forthcoming elections.

The Tehrik has fielded 25 candidates, including two women nominees in Karachi and one in Faisalabad, from various national and provincial assemblies constituencies throughout the country.