16 May 2004	Sunday	25 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, May 15: The national executive and the parliamentary party of the National Alliance will meet under the chairmanship of Farooq Leghari in Islamabad on May 19 to announce their formal merger with the Pakistan Muslim League.

Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali and PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain will also attend the meeting.

A day before the meeting, the National Council of the Millat Party will hold a special session under the chairmanship of Mr Leghari in connection with amalgamation with the PML.

These decisions were taken at a meeting of a two-member committee comprising PML Senator Kamil Ali Agha and National Alliance Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani here on Saturday.

The two leaders remained in constant contact with Mr Husain and Mr Leghari to get their instructions.

It is said that before the PML-NA merger at provincial level, the Political Parties Order will be amended to make it possible for an individual to hold the party and the government offices simultaneously.

At present, the party and the government offices have been separated.

Nominations against various party offices will be made by unified PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain in consultation with other leaders.

Senator Agha said at the meeting that after the merger all matters would be settled amicably.

Senator Durrani was of the view that the enlarged PML would be in a position to play a better role. He believed that as a result of the performance of the unified PML, people's opinion of politics and politicians would undergo a positive change.