ISLAMABAD April 9: The central leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-N on Friday held an emergency meeting with party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq in the chair and discussed various implications of the Supreme Court's verdict concerning Shahbaz Sharif's petition.

The party meeting reviewed the overall political situation of the country with particular reference to possibilities of party president's return. It, however, did not finalize any timetable for his return.

After the meeting, Party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq told Dawn that the party was in the process of preliminary consultations on arrangements to be made to welcome party president and also to take a decision about timings of Shahbaz Sharif's return.

The meeting, he said, highly appreciated the top court's observations while announcing the short order thereby opening the door for Shahbaz Sharif's return. He said the meeting decided that the party's Central Working Committee (CWC) may soon be convened to further discuss the situation.

Mr Haq said that in all about 50 central and provincial leaders participated in Friday's meeting which lasted about 90 minutes. Prominent among those who attended the meeting were: acting party president Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, secretary-general Saranjam Khan, ARD secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Punjab secretary-general Khwaja Saad Rafiq, NWFP president Pir Sabir Shah, chief organiser Ahsan Iqbal, Sindh president Imdad Chandio, vice-president Tehmina Daultana, information secretary Siddiqul Farooq, Dr Basharat Jazbi and Fazle Subhan Khan.

He condemned observations made by interior minister Faisal Saleh Hayat on the Supreme Court's verdict and said any such action which the minister had indicated would damage the country's image in the world.

In reply to a question, the PML-N chairman said the party leadership also reviewed the position of party acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and noted that the judgment in that case was expected on April 12-13.