PESHAWAR, Sept 11: Ruling Pakistan Muslim League president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Sunday rejected speculation about ‘any major political change’ in the country. Talking to reporters after meeting NWFP Governor Khalilur Rehman here, Chaudhry Shujaat said he was prepared to contact all political parties for evolving national consensus on important issues.

He said there was also no truth in reports that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi would become prime minister as a result of major political changes in near future.

The PML chief said he would not hesitate to meet leaders of different political parties and would request them to avoid the politics of opposition for the sake of opposition.

Later, Chaudhry Shujaat inaugurated the provincial secretariat of the PML.

Addressing the party workers on the occasion, he said: “We would never compromise on the Islamic ideology of Pakistan and allegations of the MMA (Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal) in this regard are not based on facts.”

He criticized the MMA for portraying itself to be the champion of Islam. He said every now and then they gave strike calls, sometime on the Iraq issue and at other on the issue of religion column in passport.

He regretted that instead of agitating important issues in parliament opposition parties had been creating hurdles in public life through unnecessary strikes.

He said opposition should realize the fact that internal and external threats were facing the country and stressed political tolerance to counter these threats.

“Let me categorically announce that first we are Muslims and then Pakistanis. We are not going to strike a deal with any one on our identity,” Chaudhry Shujaat said, obliquely referring to opposition claims that the government was going to recognize Israel.

He said the PML had exercised its influence with the government to re-introduce the religion column in passport. He added that on the issue of foreign students in seminaries he had requested President Pervez Musharraf to keep expulsion orders pending till the examination of these students.