ISLAMABAD, May 6: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday invited Pakistan Muslim League leaders to prepare and present their proposals for the welfare of people which could be incorporated in the next year’s budget.
Speaking at the party’s central executive committee meeting at the PML House, the prime minister said a special session would be arranged for the leaders to give their input on the budget within the current week.
PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain presided over the meeting in which 27 participants spoke.
There was division in the party on the proposal of reconciliatory talks with other parties, as some members opposed entering into alliance with the People’s Party Parliamentarians while others supported it.
Chaudhry Shujaat promised to address the grievances of some leaders and assured the participants that more meetings would be held to debate current political issues.
Former prime minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali emphasised the need of filling up of party offices on the pattern of Senate to accommodate leaders from all the provinces on parity basis.
He said he had been removed as prime minister on the demand of party leaders but he had failed to understand the cause of the party’s grievance against him.
He said he was ignored while making party decisions.
A number of speakers said that the party would not be able to go into the next elections with authority or put a claim on the upcoming government because it had failed to redress people’s problems.
The issue of President Pervez Musharraf’s re-election also echoed as some of the participants stressed the need of dialogue with other parties to get maximum support on the matter.
A division among the participants existed on the issue of the president’s military post as some senior leaders espoused the idea that Gen Musharraf should remain in the army chief’s office during the next term while others expressed their reservations over statements issued in this regard.
Syed Kabir Ali Wasti, in a sarcastic tone, apologised to Chaudhry Shujaat for his utterances against the party chief following newspaper reports suggesting that President Musharraf had reposed confidence in his leadership. He said so far he thought the country was run under the general’s policy of enlightened moderation but he had come to the conclusion that he was wrong. He recalled his opposition to Mr Hussain on the issues of passport, blasphemy law and madressah registration, on which he felt there was a need of adopting a pragmatic approach.
Mr Wasti advised the PML to shun the futile exercise of party elections after Gen Musharraf had declared Chaudhry Shujaat as the consensus leader.
Gohar Ayub Khan said the party needed larger reconciliation to muster maximum support for re-election of Gen Musharraf as president. He said the party should not have issued statements on the president’s military role.
Majeed Malik advised party leaders to think before giving statements on the issue.
Awais Leghari said the PML needed support from other parties, including the PPP.
The prime minister briefed the meeting on the political situation in the country and his recent visit to Baku.
He informed the participants about his interaction with heads of Economic Cooperation Organisation states and governments, including substantial meetings with Iranian President Mehmud Ahmadinejad and Afghan leader Hamid Karzai.
He highlighted the objectives of the recent reshuffle in his cabinet.
The committee unanimously decided to go ahead with party elections and complete them by Aug 12.
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Hamid Nasir Chattha, Manzoor Wattoo, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Ijazul Haq, Amir Muqam, Tariq Azeem, Mohammad Ali Durrani, Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, Iqbal Dar, Salim Saifullah Khan and other leaders attended the meeting.
