January 1, 2003	Wednesday	Shawwal 27, 1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

ISLAMABAD, Dec 31: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) on Tuesday unanimously elected Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as acting president and Salim Saifullah Khan as acting secretary-general and decided to convene general council on Jan 11 to hold proper elections of the vacant party offices including president and secretary-general.

After his election Chaudhry Shujaat, who is also parliamentary leader of the party, expressed his will to shun the past practice of governments running the party. He said “hereinafter the party will run the government”.

He said: “I had no desire to take over party presidency but I am coerced by the situation to take up the responsibility. He assured the party workers of giving them their due rights.

The party also adopted resolutions condemning US administration’s discriminatory treatment meted out to the Pakistani immigrants under harsh immigration laws and demanded of the government to get the hardships of expatriates lessened.

The central working committee (CWC) of the party appointed election committee headed by Iftikhar Gilani and comprising on Nisar Mohammad Khan, Capt Haleem Siddiqui, Nasir Mengal and Naeem Chattha to conduct elections to the party offices.

The party CWC was convened to fulfil party’s demand of filling any office within a week of its falling vacant and regular elections to be held on a ten days notice, the party sources said.

The members of the CWC also discussed the matters pertaining to the party organization and the overall political situation obtaining in the country, Salim Saifullah Khan told Dawn.

The CWC through a resolution condemned the untoward and discriminatory treatment with Pakistani expatriates in the United States under immigration laws and called upon the US government that Pakistan was itself the target of terrorism and it was deadly against all sorts of terrorism. It called upon the US authorities to immediately release detained Pakistanis and expressed sympathy with them.

The meeting urged upon the government of Pakistan to take measures for getting relief to the Pakistanis from the hardships by establishing direct contact with US president, State Department and high officials make sure that the US stops discriminatory treatment with Pakistanis by declaring Pakistan her frontline ally.

Through a resolution, the party regretted the loss of life and property due to cross-border firing of Indian troops in Azad Kashmir and condemned the Indian policy of coercion, distortion of facts and keeping on provocative acts against Pakistan. It reiterated Pakistan’s desire to settle all disputes with India through bilateral dialogue for lasting peace in the region.

The CWC also demanded of the government to take practical steps for ending the unemployment and giving concessions to small entrepreneurs, traders and farmers to promote cottage industries. It appreciated government’s steps for controlling price hike and expressed the hope that efforts would continue to bring down prices of essential commodities like wheat flour, edible oil, kerosene, etc.