LAHORE, Dec 11: The Punjab Chief Minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, said on Wednesday that he was willing to meet Mian Muhammad Azhar again to iron out differences, as the PML-Q president held consultations with his party colleagues and friends to decide on the future course of action.
What may be described as unbelievable flexibility in his stand, the chief minister said he would like to settle the matter amicably, and does not have any reservations in meeting Mian Azhar again.
“I don’t want to add fuel to fire. I hope we’ll be able to iron out differences,” said Pervaiz, who is also Punjab president of the ruling PML-Q.
The chief minister was talking to journalists at a reception held in his honour.
Pervaiz did not cite any article of the party constitution which empowered the outgoing secretary-general (Jamali) to nominate his successor, but reiterated that the matter would be resolved.
Mian Azhar ruled out the possibility of setting up a separate group, saying had he willed, he would have taken the initiative long ago.
When asked if the general council would support him in the Dec 20 meeting, Mian Azhar said he would fight the battle for principles with the support of the masses — as he had done when he challenged prime minister Nawaz Sharif — and would not like to embarrass the legislators.
In response to a question, he said he would decide on whether to take the matter to court or participate in the ‘unconstitutional’ meeting of the general council, only after consulting his party friends.
Responding to a question, the PML-Q president, whose powers have been suspended after the submission of a no-trust motion against him, said differences had been simmering for quite some time but he had been trying to paper over the situation.
Ridiculing allegations that he had been in contact with the exiled Sharifs, he said, in fact, it was Jamali who had stayed with the Sharifs some months back when he had gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Umra.
He recalled that the matter had been taken up at a meeting of the party’s central working committee, and some leaders had spoken again Jamali. The matter came under discussion again in the next CWC meeting, which Jamali stormed out of.
The PML-Q president said it was he who had appeased Jamali and brought him back to the meeting.
Mian Azhar said it was strange that when he had confronted Mian Nawaz Sharif he was accused of having links with the PPP. And now, when he had expressed difference with Jamali, he was being accused of having contacts with the Sharifs.