30 June 2004	Wednesday	11 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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ISLAMABAD, June 29: The new PPP on Tuesday attended the coalition parliamentary party meeting after getting an assurance from the prime minister elect Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain that the portfolios of its ministers which they held in Jamali's cabinet not be changed.

The PPP, led by its chairman Rao Sikandar Iqbal and president Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao kept away from the parliamentary meeting of the ruling alliance which was convened before the start of the head count, until Chaudhry Shujaat personally called on them and assured them that there would be no reshuffle in their portfolios.

The prime minister-elect is also said to have assured the new PPP that Dr Sher Afgan would also be accommodated in the cabinet under prime minister-in-waiting Shaukat Aziz.

Though neither Chaudhry Shujaat nor any of the PPP leaders said anything about the matter on record, background interviews however, established that the PPP was alarmed by the reports that in the proposed reshuffle, the portfolios of interior ministry held by Faisal Saleh Hayat, petroleum by Chaudhry Nouraiz Shakoor and water and power by Sherpao were to be withdrawn from the party and assigned to the PML men.

Later talking to newsmen Rao Sikandar Iqbal said, "we have not talked about ministerial reshuffle but have got assurance about Dr Sher Afgan's inclusion in the new cabinet and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has assured us that he will be accommodated in Shaukat Aziz's cabinet.

When probed about the temporary boycott of the parliamentary party meeting Sherpao said, "there was no serious difference and it was to sort out minor misunderstandings".