May 14, 2002	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 1, 1423

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ISLAMABAD May 13: Veteran Kashmiri politician and chairman President’s Kashmir Committee, Sardar Abdul Qayum Khan is said to have met PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto in Dubai during his recent visit to the Middle East.

He informed the parliamentary party of his Muslim Conference on Monday that he had passed on the details of the said meeting to President Gen Musharraf when he met him at president’s house on Monday.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen Mohammad Aziz Khan and other high-ranking officials were also present at the meeting.

Chairman Kashmir Committee had recently returned from a tour of the Middle East states after his sojourn of Saudi Arabia where he attended the Rabita Alam Islami conference.

However, his disclosure of holding a meeting with PPP’s life chairperson in his speech at the parliamentary party meeting of AJK Muslim Conference has reinvigorated expectations of the possibility of a deal with the Musharraf government on the future set up in the country.

The PPP, sources say, was ready to accept any pre-condition except for the keeping of Benazir Bhutto out of the coming elections, whereas, the Musharraf government’s offer to the party so far has revolved around this one point.

In a related development, PPP leader has relieved party’s senior vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Faheem of dealing with the army establishment and has asked for a direct contact with the party chief.

Sardar Abdul Qayum Khan, according to party sources, without giving details of what transpired in the meeting during which he was accompanied by a former comrade of Nawaz Sharif, Mushahid Hussain Syed, said that he had apprised the president of the details.

Sardar Qayum said that he had held a meeting with Gen Musharraf today and briefed him about his recent visit to Middle East states as chairman Presidential Committee on Kashmir.

During his stay in Dubai, he also met All Parties Hurriyat Conference leadership including its present chief Abdul Ghani Bhat and former chairman Maulvi Omar Farooq.