08 July 2004	Thursday	19 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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ISLAMABAD, July 7: The PML-N vice-president, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, has questioned the claim of Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz that he loves Pakistan and termed it deceptive slogan to impress the voters.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, Mr Shah said if Mr Aziz really loved his country then he should tell his voters as to how much of his Rs3 billion was invested in Pakistan.

He said the people also wanted to know whether Mr Aziz's wife was a foreigner and if not then he should identify his wife and her religion. The PML-N leader said the finance minister's claim of sympathy for the poor was a "joke" because the poor people of Pakistan knew that all their miseries were due to the economic policies of Mr Aziz.

"People are also aware of the fact that the repeal of wealth tax is intended to benefit Pervez Musharraf, Shaukat Aziz and other wealthy persons like them," Mr Shah said.

PRIME MINISTER'S CLAIM: The PML-N central information secretary, Siddiqul Farooque, has criticized Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain for claiming that he would promote national solidarity and Islamic values and improve the accountability process during his tenure.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, Mr Farooque said the prime minister along with a "gang of self seeking politicians", had been cooperating for almost five years with General Pervez Musharraf in implementing his policies.