January 18, 2002	Friday	Ziqa'ad 3, 1422

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ISLAMABAD Jan 17: Pakistan Muslim League (like-minded group) President Mian Mohammad Azhar has convened a meeting of the party’s central working committee here on Feb 3 to review the situation arising out of government’s decisions about future elections.

The government on Wednesday announced that elections to the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies would be held on the basis of joint electorate, the National Assembly would consist of 350 seats instead of the existing 237 seats and 60 seats would be reserved for women.

The PML-LM meeting will ponder over the possibility of entering into an alliance with other parties to contest the general election scheduled to be held in October.

Mian Azhar will also hold a meeting with former speaker and chief of his own faction of the PML, Hamid Nasir Chatha, in the next few days to ascertain whether there are any prospects of reunification with his faction.

According to the party’s joint secretary, Azeem Chaudhry, most of the party’s leaders stressed at meeting on Jan 13 the need for launching fresh efforts to unite party factions, except the PML-N. The meeting empowered Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to take further steps to help achieve the task.

In line with this policy, Mian Azhar, with Gohar Ayub Khan and Chauhdry Shujaat Hussain, will visit Pir jo Goth (upper Sindh), the residence area of veteran Muslim Leaguer Pir of Pagara Sharif, on Jan 19.