18 December 2004	Saturday	05 Ziqa'ad 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: Differences between the People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-N, the two major component parties of the ARD, resurfaced on Friday , this time on the issue of deletion of religion column from the new machine-readable passports.

Acting parliamentary leader of the PML-N in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday announced that the party would attend the All Parties Conference (APC) convened by the MMA in Islamabad on Saturday to discuss the issue. On the other hand, a senior PPP leader said the APC had been convened on a "non-issue" and the party did not consider its participation necessary.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan made the announcement regarding his party's decision to participate in the APC after a meeting with a delegation of the MMA, led by MNA Hanif Abbasi. Chaudhry Nisar also announced that the PML-N would fully participate in the public meeting of the MMA in Rawalpindi on Sunday (tomorrow).

Talking to Dawn, PML-N leader and ARD secretary- general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said he had been asked to represent the PML-N in the APC. He said, earlier, Raja Zafarul Haq was to represent the PML-N, but as he had to go to Karachi due to the death of Ejaz Shafi, now he would represent his party.

PPP spokesman Senator Farhatullah Khan Babar, when contacted, said the MMA had convened the APC to discuss the government's decision to delete religion column from the new passport and his party believed that it was a "non-issue."

When asked whether Mr Jhagra would represent the ARD in the APC, Mr Babar said he was not aware whether the former had been nominated by the alliance chairman, Makhdoom Amin Fahim.

Meanwhile, according to an MMA announcement, PPP Secretary- General Raja Pervez Ashraf would represent his party at the conference. However, when contacted, Mr Ashraf said he would not be attending the conference as he was out of town.

It may be mentioned here that there are differences between the PPP and the PML-N over the issue of religion column in the new passport. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has criticized the decision and termed it "a part of the government's plan to turn Pakistan into a secular country". Mr Sharif has also directed his party men to highlight the issue through agitations.

Though the PPP has not publicly hailed the decision, it is in favour of it. When asked whether the PPP supported the exclusion of religion column from passports, Mr Babar said: "Of course, it is absolutely a non-issue and there is no need to make hue and cry over it."