LAHORE, Oct 29: PML-Q’s Punjab President Pervaiz Elahi said on Wednesday neither former president Pervez Musharraf could take part in politics for two years nor party leadership would be changed before party polls in August 2009.

Addressing a press conference after a party meeting held at the Muslim League House, he said change in party leadership was possible either through the general council of the party or party polls. There was no third way of changing the leadership, he said adding, “Any one intended to become the party president should contest party polls”.

Flanked by Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, former ministers Arshad Khan Lodhi and Basharat Raja and other provincial leaders, the former chief minister said his party had supported the former president on every occasion. But, it became helpless when Gen Musharraf himself decided to quit the presidency, he added.

Now there was a two-year constitutional bar that prevented him from entering politics, and the PML-Q could not do anything about it. So, he (Musharraf) had to wait that long if he wished jumping on the political bandwagon, he claimed.

Responding to merger prospects of Muslim League factions, especially when the PML-Q was also alleging political victimisation in Punjab, he said: “That exactly has been the situation; on the one hand, rumors about possible merger were being spread and authenticated by factional leaders but, on the other hand, victimisation of our workers was continuing. Merger or no merger, this attitude must change for improving political atmosphere in the province and the country.”

Talking about efforts of PML-N leader Syed Ghaus Ali Shah for merger of different factions, Elahi said Shah contacted the PML-Q during presidential polls and asked for withdrawal of Senator Mushahid Husain Syed from the race and offered to solve “unification issue” after the polls. Neither the PML-Q withdrew its candidate nor Shah contacted the party leadership again, he said.

Denying rift within the party, he said some of its members, suffering from “Ministry Virus” were making noise. There was no general rift in the party. The change was possible only through the party polls or the general council. The rest were personal wishes of few members, having no legal or moral value.

He also took exception of what he called government’s failure to take hard decisions. Instead of taking those decisions, the provincial government had resorted to political gimmickry. One such example was selling of roti at Rs2. Instead of solving overall flour crisis in the country, the government was busy deflecting people’s attention off the crisis. The supply of flour to other provinces during PML-Q regime never became a problem but it was becoming a pressure on the federation because of Punjab government’s failure to solve the issue.

The government had not been able to solve the issue of Baglihar Dam with India despite claiming improvement in mutual ties. It must approach the International Court of Justice on this issue, he demanded. The PPP and the PML-N had formed the coalition governments both at the Centre and the province, and it was their duty solve people’s problems instead of resorting to usual blame game and diverting people’s attention from genuine issues.

He also expressed grief over the loss of lives in earthquake in Balochistan.