LAHORE      -         The provincial leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) sat together here Tuesday to ponder over the available constitutional options to stop the PTI’s planned move to dissolve the Punjab Assembly to enforce fresh elections. In this connection, a PPP delegation headed by PPP’s parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Syed Hassan Murtaza visited the PML-N’s Secretariat where they met opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the current political scenario in the wake of PTI’s announcement about dissolution of assemblies. Insiders said that different options including no-trust motion, invoking of governor’s power to ask the chief minister to seek vote of confidence from the Assembly and the federal government’s power to impose governor’s rule in the province were discussed in detail. Noted lawyer Atta Ullah Tarar briefed the two leaders about the constitutional position in this regard. The two sides, according to sources, agreed to prepare ground for exercising the option of asking the chief minister to seek a vote of confidence from the assembly. They thought it to be the most viable choice in the given situation because in this case the chief minister will have to prove his majority in the House instead of the opposition which may have to do the same in case of a no-confidence motion against the chief minister. The two leaders were reportedly told that the relevant article of the Constitution about removal of a chief minister and a prime minister through no-confidence motion had been rendered ineffective after the Supreme Court verdict that votes of defectors will not be counted. A no-trust motion can only delay the dissolution of assembly for a few days, Tarar further told the meeting. It was also decided to seek services of PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari as the option to make the chief minister to seek a vote of confidence from the assembly required establishing contacts with at least 10 PTI members to convince them to stay absent them from the assembly on the day when the chief minister will have to prove majority in the House. Separately, in a related development and as a counter strategy to this anticipated move by the PPP and the PML-N, the PTI and the PML-Q issued instructions to their MPAs to abstain from proceeding abroad in the days to come, it has been learnt reliably. They have also been asked to reach Lahore on Thursday to attend the parliamentary meeting scheduled on Friday. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Special Assistant to PM Attaullah Tarar said that the PPP leaders met Hamza Shehbaz on the directions of Asif Zardari to exchange views on different options to save the Punjab Assembly. He said both the parties would devise come up with a strategy to counter PTI’ move within a few days. Tarar said the PdM parties will use all options to stop the PTI from dissolving the Punjab assembly. He maintained that it would be unconstitutional if the assembly was dissolved on the whim of Imran Khan. Tarar said that the assembly should complete its constitutional term as it would be like robbing the mandate of people. To a question, he said that governor’s rule is imposed when a resolution is passed by the National Assembly and the Senate and the President attests the same. Pointing out fissures in the ruling Punjab coalition, he claimed that the parliamentary party of PTI was disunited as it was divided into several groups. He also claimed that several PTI members were perturbed over the development and were in touch with the PML-N. PPP leader Hasan Murtaza said that issues like establishing contacts with the PTI members, the option of imposing governor’s rule as well as no-confidence motion against the chief minister came under discussion during the meeting. He said the PdM alliance will not allow the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly and use all tactics to save it.