LAHORE: PML-N president Nawaz Sharif does not want to meet President Asif Ali Zardari for talks on caretaker setup, scheduled to be installed after March 18.

“Mian Nawaz Sharif is not interested in meeting President Zardari on caretaker setup as he (Sharif) follows the constitution that says the leader of the house (Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf) and leader of opposition (Chaudhry Nisar Ali) will hold talks on it,” PML-N Senator Pervaiz Rashid said.

Talking to Dawn on Tuesday, Mr Rashid dispelled the impression that President Zardari wanted to visit Nawaz to condole with him the death of his brother. “The president had already telephoned Mian Sahib to condole the death of Abbas Sharif. Now there is no point of his (Zardari’s) visit to the residence of Sharif over the issue,” he said, adding the president was here to inaugurate his residence and he should better enjoy his time here in the spring.

The senator further said President Zardari should first tell the reason of his meeting if he was really interested in calling on Nawaz Sharif. “Nawaz Sharif has asked Chaudhry Nisar to see PM Ashraf and develop a consensus on the caretaker prime minister. But the president has sent him (premier) to London at this crucial time,” he said.

The PML-N sources said Nawaz Sharif was avoiding meeting with president as he feared that their meeting would provide an opportunity to the PML-N opponents, especially Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, to launch a propaganda against it that might prove harmful ahead of election. The PTI has already been alleging that both PPP and PML-N have struck a deal over the caretaker setup.

The PPP on the other hand is castigating Nawaz Sharif for not accepting President Zardari’s reported plan to visit him to offer condolences.