21 August 2004	Saturday	04 Rajab 1425

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ISLAMABAD Aug 20: The election schedule for the newly-elected MNA Shaukat Aziz as new prime minister will be announced on Monday (Aug 22) and the process of transfer of power will be completed by next week.

This was decided in the meeting of the ruling coalition's parliamentary group that was held with outgoing Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in the chair at the Parliament House here on Friday.

Sources said that the incumbent prime minister would resign on Aug 25 after holding talks with visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Bosnian president.

Both the dignitaries were scheduled to visit Islamabad from Aug 23-25, sources said, adding that the likely date for Mr Aziz's oath-taking was Aug 27 as his confirmation as the prime minister would be delayed till Aug 26. They said that the incumbent prime minister was likely to address the nation on the evening he quit his office.

They said that another meeting of the coalition's parliamentary group would be held at the Parliament House at 4:30pm on Monday before the start of the National Assembly's session at 5:30pm to finalize the timing for the Chaudhry Shujaat's resignation and the cabinet's dissolution.

Sources quoted the prime minister as saying that it had been decided that Mr Aziz should retain the National Assembly seat from Attock in recognition of sacrifices that the people of the constituency had offered in shape of numerous deaths in the suicide attack on him.

Mr Aziz, who resigned as a senator in the morning, also vacated the seat he had won in the Tharparkar by-elections and took oath from NA-59 Attock. Mr Hussain, however, assured that the new prime minister would not ignore the interests of the people of Tharparkar so far as the development process was concerned.

ELECTION COMMISSION: The Election Commission of Pakistan has declared Shaukat Aziz successful from two National Assembly constituencies of Attock and Tharparkar in the Aug 18 by-elections.

The notifications were issued after Chief Election Commissioner Irshad Hasan Khan announced the official results at a news conference held at his office here on Friday.