LAHORE: An opposition alliance seeking early elections seems unlikely so far though various political parties are coordinating to reach such a consensus as the PPP-P is not ready to `take things that far`, and is restricting itself to premier`s ouster.

What transpires is that the PPP-P does want Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign and be replaced by someone else from the ruling PMLN, but it is against `premature` dissolution of the assemblies.

The Jamaat-i-Islami, one of the three political parties that had filed writ petitions with the Supreme Court for a probe into Panamagate, also seems non-com-mitted with the PTI demand for immediate fresh elections.

PPP-P information secretary Senator Farhatullah Babar parried the question about the party`s policy in this regard.

`We have asked Nawaz Sharif to resign and will continue to build pressure on him, both within and outside the parliament, to make him quit,` he said.

He had been asked about any `understanding` between his party and the government on not dissolving the assemblies before completion of PML-N tenure and that whether the PPP-P would launch an anti-government drive if PM Nawaz refused to resign.

Another party leader, who sought anonymity, said as dissolution of the assemblies was not inthe interest ofthe party soit could not support such a demand.

He argued that early elections would benefit only the PTI, keeping in view its proactive role in the Panama case that put the Sharifs in a difncult situation. Therefore, he added, it suited the PPP-P to wait for completion of the term of the assemblies.

JI general secretary Liaqat Baloch too evaded the question regarding early elections. What one could infer from his comments was that the party, which is junior partner of the PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, is not ready for the fresh polls.

`The PTI has not yet consulted us on the demand for immediate polls,` he said, when asked to clarify his party`s stance on the issue.He said election reforms should precede the new polls to curb `electoral corruption` otherwise, he feared, the same `plunderers` would again come into power negating the very purpose of holdingthe electoralexercise again.

He lamented that the parliamentary parties were delaying reforms of election laws, when pointed out that the demand for the reforms meant the JI did not want early polls.

Mr Baloch, however, counseled PM Nawaz not to take the confrontational path and resign to save the country from any dangerous crisis.

The Election Commission has already warned the political parties in writing to complete the election reforms as early as possible, otherwise it may not be possible to hold the 2018 polls under new laws.