04 June 2004	Friday	15 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

KARACHI, June 3: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ijazul Haq and Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad on Thursday ruled out any possibility of a political change in Sindh or formation of a national consensus government.

Talking to newsmen at the Governor's House, they clarified the reported statement by the PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in Islamabad earlier in the day about the formation of a national consensus government in the province.

Mr Ijazul Haq said that the statements by Chaudhry Shujaat and federal Minister for Information Shaikh Rashid in this regard had been misinterpreted. The newsmen had asked Mr Haq to comment on Chaudhry Shujaat's contacts with opposition leaders Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Qazi Hussain Ahmed at the Parliament House and his invitation to them to form a government of national consensus in Sindh.

The minister said, "It was not so." "The fact is that Chaudhry Shujaat has invited them to join hands with the government to restore peace in Karachi," he explained. He categorically stated that no political changes were expected to take place in Sindh, nor had the opposition parties been invited to form a government on the basis of majority.

Governor Ibad was also asked by newsmen to comment on Chaudhry Shujaat's statement. He said: "The PML chief has not given any statement on the formation of a government of national consensus in Sindh... Chaudhry Saheb has himself denied having issued such statement."

He dispelled the impression that any proposal for a political change in Sindh was under consideration at the federal level. About his meeting with Pir Saheb Pagara, the governor said he was scheduled to meet him two days back, but the meeting took place today (Thursday).

About the possibility of an in-house change in Sindh, he said there existed a coalition government and any decision would be taken by the coalition partners themselves.

STRIKE: Mr Ijazul Haq appealed to religious scholars and ulema belonging to all schools of thought to observe 'Yaum-i-Azm' and 'Yaum-i-Dua' on Friday instead of observing strike and holding protest demonstrations.

"The country needs unity among people to foil the evil designs of enemies who are bent upon creating division in the name of Sunni and Shia," he said, adding that the division was aimed at creating law and order situation, destabilize the government and cause harm to the country.

Ijazul Haq appealed to the religious leaders to ensure that their strike on Friday would remain peaceful. "The protest must be in a civilized manner and if any body resorted to violence and cause damage to public and private properties, the law would come into action," he warned.

Dr Ibad also warned that nobody would be allowed to take the law into their hands during the strike. The minister referred to his meetings with Maulana Fazlur Rahman and Allama Sajid Naqvi in Islamabad on Wednesday and with Allama Turabi in Karachi on Thursday, and said that all of them had realized the situation and felt that such incidents were aimed at weakening the country.

He disclosed that besides a plot to trigger off sectarian violence, there were indications of a conspiracy having been hatched to ignite ethnic strife by pitting Urdu-speaking, Punjabi and Pushtoon communities against each other. -PPI/APP