LAHORE, March 21 President Asif Ali Zardari has directed the party parliamentarians in Punjab to seek `guidance` from Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the party line in the province.

Some provincial PPP legislators told Dawn on Saturday that the president had directed them to stay in touch with Mr Qureshi over different issues.

The president`s spokesman Farhatullah Babar, however, denied any such direction from Mr Zardari saying that Mr Qureshi was discharging his duties as foreign minister.

Legislators said the president was requested by senior party leaders to depute a man of Shah Mahmood Qureshi stature in Punjab to look after the party interest properly.

They were, however, not sure what position Mr Qureshi would be given - the governorship or the slot of provincial party president.

Sources in the PPP said that there were also chances that Mr Qureshi`s role might remain a `consultative` one because he had a vast experience of Punjab politics.

They said `mishandling` of different issues in Punjab had necessitated the need of bringing some seasoned party person. They said it would be very difficult for Mr Qureshi to quit as foreign minister because it “goes well with his personality”.

Sources said the PPP was more concerned at the moment about making the government in Punjab and restructuring of the party came on the priority list. “It will not be easy for anyone like Mr Qureshi to streamline the party-related affairs.”

When contacted, the PPP provincial leadership said they would welcome whatever decision President Zardari took in this regard.

It is also learnt that the PPP has also stopped few federal ministers from `looking after` the Punjab party affairs with regard to install its government. A PPP leader says now the president is very cautious in his moves in Punjab and is no more banking only on his `kitchen cabinet` in this respect.