Transparent polls: Pervaiz

LAHORE - President PML-Q Ch. Shujaat Hussain has said that all parties and Muslim League factions that merged into the PML-Q in the wake of 2002 elections have got representation in the partys General Council according to their strength in the Parliament.
He said that this formula of representation had been adopted with complete unanimity then and for coming party elections, the same had been followed.
Shujaat stated this in an exclusive interview with The Nation here on Monday. Former Chief Minister Punjab, Ch. Pervaiz Elahi was also present and spoke on the occasion.
Ch.Shujaat and Pervaiz Elahi also called on Editor-in-Chief The Nation Majid Nizami and Editor Arif Nizami before this scribe conducted the interview.
The Chaudhrys briefed them about the party affairs and dynamics of present intra-party politics.
Shujaat further said that in order to make things clear and transparent, he would provide the media with a list of the members of General Council and also a copy of the agreement on the basis of which the representation in the General Council had been given to different factions.
The General Council is the Electoral College, which elects the main office-bearers of the party including President (both central and provincial) and General Secretary.
Speaking on this occasion, Pervaiz Elahi said that elections in the party were due in August.
'The dissidents in the party had been demanding elections since December 2008. Now when we are holding elections they should not have any objection, Pervaiz said.
He said that all the parties that had merged in PML (Q) had representation in the General Council and as such the allegations levelled by the rebel group were baseless.
He said that in the provincial General Council that would elect provincial President all the sides had been fully represented.
He said the General Council had been constituted through a democratic process. 'We held elections in all districts and following the reorganisation at grass-root level, the General Council had been constituted, he asserted.
He said that elections were being conducted in a very transparent manner, according to the party Constitution and the party Constitution did not bar any one from contesting election for the third time for the same position.
Pervaiz said that the PML (Q) dissidents had never taken part in the party affairs and organisation.
'They never visited any district or town nor held public meetings there,whereas we went from one City to another to organise party at the grass-root level, he added.