04 July 2004	Sunday	15 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, July 3: A meeting of People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) was held at the party's central secretariat here on Saturday to finalize the strategy for the forthcoming by-election in Attock and to find a suitable candidate.

The meeting was presided over by Chairman Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and President PPP Makhdoom Amin Fahim and attended by Secretary General MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, former MPA from Attock, Malik Hakmin Khan, and other party office-bearers belonging to Attock.

Talking to Dawn, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said the names of four to five candidates were under consideration for the by-polls on August 18. However, he said, the name of the candidate would be finalised after a meeting of the ARD in Lahore on Sunday.

Mr Ashraf claimed that there would a tough fight in Attock and it would not be an easy sailing for the prime minister-in- waiting Shaukat Aziz. He claimed there was a strong resentment among the local people about the nomination of Shaukat Aziz as prime minister, as they considered him an "outsider".

Meanwhile, a source told Dawn that the PPP was considering the names of Shahan Malik, son of Malik Hakmin Khan, Dr Sikandar Hayat and Sardar Sikandar Hayat for award of the party ticket from this constituency.

The source said Khwaja Saad Rafiq of the Pakistan Muslim League-N had contacted the PPP leadership seeking support for its candidate Malik Lal Khan.

Earlier, a meeting of the coordination committee of the PPP was also held at the party's central secretariat to review the situation in Attock.