29 June 2004	Tuesday	10 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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ISLAMABAD, June 28: Prime Minister-designate Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Monday justified President Gen Pervez Musharraf's decision to remove Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali from the office of the prime minister, saying that all parties in the ruling coalition had been consulted before the former prime minister was requested to resign.

Speaking at a news conference after presiding over a meeting of the parliamentary group of the PML and coalition partners, the MQM and the new PPP at the parliament house, Chaudhry Shujaat said since there was no provision in the constitution for a caretaker or an interim prime minister while parliament was functioning, he would be a fully functioning prime minister after seeking a vote of confidence from the National Assembly.

He asked the press not to use the word of 'caretaker' or an 'interim' premier for him after this clarification. He claimed that the entire coalition parliamentary group in Monday's meeting had endorsed the decision of President Gen Pervez Musharraf and no dissenting voice either from southern Punjab or anywhere from the country was raised in the meeting.

Responding to a suggestion as to why he himself was shy of continuing as the prime minister, Mr Shujaat said: "Had I been a candidate for the premiership I would not have named Mr Jamali for the top slot after my election as party's parliamentary leader in 2002.

I can swear to Allah even now that neither I nor Shaukat Aziz have ever desired the post but we have accepted the offer as a challenge." The prime minister-designate, sharing the rostrum with the prime minister-in-waiting Shaukat Aziz, former foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and Muttahida parliamentary leader Dr Farooq Sattar, said that the president had consulted every member of the ruling coalition after which he (President Musharraf) took the decision about the formation of the new government.

When asked whether he would form a fully-fledged cabinet for the intervening period or leave the job for Mr Aziz to complete, he said consultations were continuing on the matter.

He made it clear that he would take all allies and PML lawmakers into confidence before the formation or reshuffle of the cabinet. He said neither he or Mr Aziz had lobbied for the post of the prime minister and it was solely the decision of President Gen Pervez Musharraf "which we all have accepted."

He said the president had been endeavouring for the last two years to strengthen the PML but in his view the party could only be made strong when the government run by it was able to deliver the goods and improve the economy of the country.

So far as the good governance and economy was concerned, he said "we have found in Mr Shaukat Aziz a capable man but his being a Senator and not a National Assembly member was a hurdle which had stopped him from becoming the prime minister.

"Keeping this in mind the President has assigned me the responsibility of the prime minister for the transitional period which I have accepted in the best interest of the country," Mr Hussain said.

Replying to a question about the election of Mr Shaukat Aziz as the member of the National Assembly, the PML leader said: "We have received offers of seats from all four provinces and Fata and will decide the matter after consultations with all coalition partners."

He mentioned a few names, including outgoing minister Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind from Sindh, Chaudhry Amanullah and Rashid Akbar from Punjab. "We will make sure that Mr Aziz wins by a comfortable margin in a fair and transparent election."

About the absence of Mr Jamali from the parliamentary meeting today, Mr Shujaat said: "Mr Jamali had signed my (Shujaat's) nomination papers as a proposer but he was unable to attend today's meeting due to some other pressing engagements."

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