Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Shujaat Hussain and former deputy prime minister Pervaiz Elahi have called on President Asif Zardari in Lahore.
The Chaudhrys met President Zardari at Bilawal House in Bahria Town on Sunday and also had dinner with him. Interestingly, their spokesmen were not ready to confirm the meeting. However, sources said the meeting continued until late night. Both sides discussed the election results and their future strategy.
Later, the Chaudhrys visited Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan at Shaukat Khanum Hospital. Sources close to PML-Q leadership said the Chaudhrys were not sure how to respond to PML-N’s new political dispensation in the country with the Sharifs ruling both centre and Punjab. They may be exploring the possibility of forging a front against Sharif featuring both Imran and Zardari, sources added.
President Zardari also telephoned Imran Khan the other day. The president wanted to visit Imran at the hospital but could not get security clearance. Meanwhile, the PML-Q leaders have advised the Chaudhrys to back Imran Khan in the future.
They had also asked the Chaudhrys to put their weight behind Imran Khan in his pursuit to become the opposition leader. However, President Zardari indicated that the opposition leader would be from the PPP.
The PML-Q and PPP were close partners in the former government and also contested elections jointly. But for the time being, the Chaudhrys are not sure whether to continue cooperating the PPP or not.
