10 July 2004	Saturday	21 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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KARACHI, July 9: Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz is arriving in Karachi on Saturday and his programme includes a call on Pakistan Muslim League leader Pir Pagara, besides a visit to his by-election constituency of Tharparkar.

During his last visit to Karachi a few days ago, he was scheduled to meet Pir Pagara along with Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. But Pir Pagara, expressing his displeasure over nominations of PML Sindh office-bearers, declined to see them.

He was quoted as saying that his group was considering to withdraw from the unified Muslim League and that a decision in this regard would be taken soon.

On Friday, however, he appeared to have softened his stand when he described as baseless reports appearing in a section of the press saying that he had directed members of the National Assembly, Senate and provincial assembly belonging to the defunct PML-F to keep away from government business and functions and had asked the legislators to send their resignations to him.

According to a source close to the Pir, he said: "Giving ultimatum is not our politics. We are active coalition partners in the Sindh government which enjoyed our full support and our people are playing their full role in the government."

He also denied that there were differences between him and Mr Shaukat Aziz. The Kingri House source quoted the spiritual leader of the Hurs as saying that his men had launched a campaign for Mr Aziz, from Mirpurkhas to Mithi, and they fully participated in the public meeting in Mithi which was addressed by Mr Aziz and PML leaders.

When asked that if he was fully behind Mr Aziz then why his meeting with him did not take place and Mr Aziz left for Islamabad without calling on him, Pir Sahib denied that a meeting had been scheduled between them. However, he said, that he and Mr Aziz would be meeting in a couple of days.