December 10, 2002	Tuesday	Shawwal 5,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 9: A four-member delegation of the People’s Party Parliamentarian (PPP) led by its President Makhdoom Amin Fahim called on Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali here on Monday.

The issue pertaining to the formation of government in Sindh remained in focus of the discussion which lasted for over an hour, PPP sources said.

Qaim Ali Shah, Khawaja Ahmed Tariq Rahim and Brig Amanullah also accompanied the PPP president in the talks with the prime minister, which came in the wake of a one-to-one meeting between Mr Fahim and President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Sunday.

The PPP delegation presented fresh proposals with regard to cooperation between the PPP and the ruling PML-Q at the centre as well as in the province of Sindh.

Mr Fahim also conveyed his reservations over the government’s effort to cause defection among the PPP ranks and emergence of another faction of the PPP under the nomenclature of the PPP Patriots.

The PPP president expressed a desire that all the party turn-coats should be withdrawn from the federal cabinet for paving a way for cooperation between the two parties.

Mr Jamali ruled out any such possibility and called upon the PPP to review its policies causing frustration among the members, a source said.

The reports of more defections in the PPP ranks has raised the worries of the party leadership.

However no word was officially released either by the prime minister house or the PPP secretariat. The PPP secretariat was unaware of the meeting.

When contacted through cellular phone President PPP Makhdoom Amin Fahim in a very heavy tone said, “contact me tomorrow morning,” and switched off the phone.

Mr Fahim who was aspiring for the prime ministership has now started lobbying for his son, Makhdoom Jamil-uz-Zaman, who is a candidate for the chief ministership of Sindh.