Lahore, May 7 : At a meeting between PML-Q parliamentarians and their party chief (and former premier) Ch. Shujaat Hussain, the legislators appealed to the latter to sever ties with President Pervez Musharraf to save the party from further losing its image among the masses.

They were of the opinion that the party suffered defeat in the February 18 polls only because they allied with Musharraf.

Party leaders of the Lahore division expressed fears that the PML-Q would face a similar defeat in the upcoming by-elections if it did not give up its support for Musharraf.

The people disliked the party’s support for the President, and that this was the main reason for its defeat in the general elections despite having served the nation for five years, the Daily Times quoted them as saying.

Both Shujaat Hussain and former Punjab chief minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi remained silent over party legislators’ objections, but former federal minister Nisar Memon said that Musharraf had “great respect” for the Chaudhrys. He said the President himself wanted to see the PML-Q intact and strong, added the paper.

Elahi said that it was the right of all legislators to express their opinion, and urged them to maintain unity and advised them to regularly sit in party offices and mobilise party workers.

Meanwhile, according to another report published in The News, Musharraf had recently asked Hussain to step down as party chief on “health grounds”. Musharraf reportedly told Hussain: “Chaudhry Sahib, your health doesn't warrant your continuation as the PML-Q president, therefore, you should call it a day and de-link yourself from the party.”

Musharraf also told Shujaat that if he and Pervaiz Elahi bid adieu to the PML-Q and Hamid Nasir Chattha was made the party president, it would be acceptable to PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari for cooperation.

Musharraf wants the PML-Q minus the Chaudhrys to be 'friendly opposition' for some time, said party sources.

To this, the PML-Q chief replied: “I was elected by 3000 members of the PML-Q General Council that can only remove me.”

A high-level source of the PML-Q said that this was the fourth time over the past few months when the President asked Ch Shujaat to leave the PML-Q stewardship.

The source said Musharraf believes that because of his excellent relations with slain Benazir Bhutto, Chattha was acceptable to Zardari to the extent that they would be comfortable to work together.

"The offer for the PML-Q is that it may be part of the PPP governments at the federal level and in the Punjab in place of the PML-Nawaz," the president told Chaudhry Shujaat, when the latter asked what was on the plate in exchange for relinquishing the PML-Q stewardship. (ANI)