July 09, 2008	Wednesday	Rajab 5, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 8: Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has called senior party members, including Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, to Dubai for consultation on important national issues and party matters, sources told Dawn on Tuesday.

PPP spokesman Farhatullah Khan Babar said the prime minister would go to Dubai on Wednesday after completing his three-day visit to Malaysia.

When asked about the agenda of the meeting, Mr Babar simply replied: “Current political situation in the country.”

Sources in the party said that Information Minister Sherry Rehman, Kashmir Affairs Minister Qamaruz Zaman Kaira and Labour Minister Syed Khursheed Shah had been asked by Mr Zardari to rush to Dubai immediately for “some important consultations”.

The sources said that Adviser to Prime Minister on Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar was accompanying the prime minister, but it was not clear whether she would also be present in the Dubai meeting or not.

They said that Mr Zardari wanted to have some consultation with the ministers before his planned visit to London for a meeting with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif on the future of the four-party ruling coalition.

The party insiders said that the main purpose of the Dubai meeting was to discuss the future relationship with the major coalition partner, the PML-N, which had adopted a tough position on the reinstatement of judges.

Several PML-N leaders have already said that their party would wait only till the end of the month for the restoration of the deposed judges and after that deadline, it would be free to withdraw support to the PPP-led coalition government.

Moreover, Mr Sharif has also accused the PPP of not taking his party into confidence on major national issues, including the operation in tribal areas and increase in prices of oil, gas and electricity.

The sources said that the prime minister and Mr Zardari would finalise the names of party members for induction into the cabinet.

They said the issue of the Constitution amendment package, proposed by the PPP for the judges’ reinstatement, would also come up for discussion.

So far, the PPP has not received any recommendations from its coalition partners on the draft of the 62-point amendment bill.

The PML-N has already rejected the PPP’s proposal to restore the judges through the constitutional package.