ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has dismissed the idea of forming provincial governments with the help of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) in either Punjab or the NWFP.

The party’s newly elected legislators called for correcting the power disparity between the presidency and parliament.

Two separate meetings were held at the Zardari House in which PPP’s parliamentary groups from Punjab and the Frontier discussed options in the post-election scenario.

Punjab’s former chief minister Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo and NWFP’s Anwer Saifullah Khan also called on PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari separately and discussed possible future political scenarios.

Mr Wattoo, who remained with the PML-Q for the past five years, contested the election as an independent candidate. His daughter, former MNA Rubina Shaheen Wattoo, has also won a National Assembly seat from Okara as an independent candidate. Rubina Wattoo had won the previous election from the platform of PML (Jinnah), but was later associated with the PML-Q.

Interestingly, her name also appears in the Election Commission list as a PML-Q candidate for women’s reserved seats. It is not clear why Mr Wattoo met Mr Zardari and in which capacity.

A source said that Mr Wattoo had brought with him a chart with some numbers and tables.

Anwer Saifullah Khan has won a provincial assembly seat as an independent candidate. His brother Humayun Saifullah has also won a seat in the NWFP Assembly on the PML-Q ticket.

Talking to Dawn, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that the PPP’s MPAs from Punjab and Sindh had expressed their views on the pros and cons of alliance with the Awami National Party (ANP) in the Frontier and PML-N in the centre and in Punjab and analyzed various political aspects of such alliances.

Mr Babar said the participants had ruled out any alliance with the PML-Q, saying: “The King’s party no longer exists and has been banished by voters.”

He said the participants also reviewed the political situation and felt that circumstances were favourable for correcting the imbalance of power between the presidency and the parliament and for the restoration of parliament’s supremacy. They said the party would not falter on its commitments made in its manifesto and the Charter of Democracy. Mr Babar said the PPP was not making any effort to form governments in the NWFP and Punjab as it recognised the mandates of the ANP and the PML-N there. He, however, said the party would definitely nominate its parliamentary leader in both the provincial assemblies.

Both the meetings were presided over by PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari. Vice-chairmen Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Syed Yousuf Rasa Gillani, secretary-general Jahangir Badar and Raja Pervez Ashraf also attended the meetings.

The members paid tribute to Benazir Bhutto and reiterated that her assassination should be probed by the UN.

Mr Zardari said the party would formulate its policies in the light of the advice of its members and the party members had to brace themselves for post-election challenges. He said the PPP and other political forces had to offer solutions to national political problems.

Mr Zardari said if the elections had not been “selectively rigged,” the party would have fared much better.

Mr Babar said a meeting of the MPAs-elect from Balochistan would be held in Islamabad on Sunday morning following by another meeting of the MPAs-elect from Sindh in the afternoon. Meetings of the losing candidates of National and provincial assemblies will begin from Monday and continue for three days, he said.

DIPLOMATS: The Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad, Satyabrata Pal, and Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohai also called on Mr Zardari.