KARACHI, June 19: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad's return from London has been delayed by at least another couple of days because he has been asked by Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain to "stay back for consultation", MQM sources said.

Dr Ibad was originally expected to return home on Friday. He had flown to London soon after the induction of two provincial ministers in the cabinet.

According to sources, if the Sindh governor did not return by Sunday afternoon, cabinet formation in the province might be delayed for at least four to five days because Chief Minister Dr Arbab Rahim was planning to leave for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

Meanwhile, the MQM leadership was in emergent meeting here at Nine Zero in which MNAs and senators, who had especially flown in, were also participating.

It may be pointed out that while MQM founder Altaf Hussain had persistently expressed the fear that another operation against the party was in the offing, governor Ibad had ruled such an operation out after meeting President Gen Pervez Musharraf a little before his departure for London.

Amir Wasim adds from Islamabad: All the parliamentarians and federal ministers belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement afternoon suddenly flew from Islamabad to Karachi on Saturday on the directives of Mr Hussain, sources told Dawn.

The MQM parliamentarians' unexpected departure to Karachi was significant as they left the National Assembly when it was holding a debate on the federal budget for the year 2004-5.

The sources said the MQM members had been called to Karachi to attend a crucial meeting in which the party would chalk out its future strategy in the wake of worsening law and order situation in Sindh.