ISLAMABAD    -   Pakistan People’s Party is playing on both sides of the wicket as the coun­try moves through the controversy over the general elections.

The PPP wants to save the government until the end of the five-year term but also remains active to raise voice for the supremacy of the Constitu­tion. PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari - the incumbent Foreign Minister - has been pushing his Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to agree for talks with the opposi­tion to find a middle way out of the persistent crisis.

Bilawal also disagrees with an option within the coalition gov­ernment to drag the polls be­yond the five-year term which will need some real excuses as the Constitution has no room to delay elections outside the given time limits.

PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal’s assertions to pro­tect the Constitution and show flexibility towards the oppo­sition give an impression that they might be thinking to jump off the coalition ship just ahead of the polls to give them­selves a chance to play a little more freely be­fore elections.

This option has not been the top agen­da for the PPP but has not been ruled out if the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) sticks to inflexibility.

Yesterday, Asif Ali Zardari ruled out any possibility of con­testing next general elections in alliance with the Pakistan Dem­ocratic Movement.

Zardari said when removing Imran Khan, they knew there were difficulties but they had to stop Imran Khan otherwise he would have sold the country.

The PPP meanwhile has post­poned the protest to be held across Sindh today.

PPP leader Nisar Khoro said the PPP was postponing its protest as a show of ‘restraint.’

“We demand from all institu­tions including the judiciary to listen to the voice of the peo­ple and conduct elections in the country on one day,” he main­tained.