SUKKUR, Aug 4: The Chief Minister of Sindh, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, presided over a high-level meeting here on Wednesday to finalize a seat-adjustment agreement between Jatois and Mahars in Shikarpur.

The federal minister, Mr Ghous Bux Khan Mahar, the former district nazim of Shikarpur, Arif Mahar, MNA Dr Ibrahim Jatoi, MPA Mir Abid Jatoi and others from both the sides attended the meeting.

Though both the groups are part of the ruling alliance but have serious differences over union council seats and the top slots of district nazim and taluka nazims of Shikarpur for which the Sindh chief minister had to intervene.

The meeting, which began at about 1:00 pm continued till late in the evening. It, however, failed to settle the issue.

While the Jatois asked the chief minister to convince the Mahars to drop their men from certain seats, while the Mahars urged that the Jatois were politically weak in the district, therefore, they should enter into the seat adjustments.

The Mahars, sources said, made it clear that they would not withdraw from district nazim’s slot.

They also claimed that sympathies of Imtiaz Shaikh’s men were also with the Mahars.

The chief minister later asked both the groups to back their men in the areas where they enjoy majority and agree on the seat adjustment where necessary.

He further said that as there were no PPP men in the district, therefore, they should contest the elections jointly, keeping aside their differences.

The chief minister asked both groups that decision regarding the district nazim and the taluka nazim would be taken after elections of union councils.