ISLAMABAD, March 14: There were rumours in the federal capital on Wednesday that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had been asked to cut short his visit to Uzbekistan and asked to return home.

Sources told Dawn that the prime minister was expected to arrive in Islamabad late in the night or on Thursday morning.The government, however, refuted reports that the prime minister had been summoned by the president, saying that the visit was of two days and not of three days as reported in the media.

A federal minister accompanying the prime minister confirmed from Tashkent in a telephonic conversation that the delegation was preparing to board the return flight either today or tomorrow morning.

Sources claimed that the prime minister who held a lengthy meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf before his departure on Tuesday was expected to meet the president again on his arrival to discuss measures needed to meet the opposition’s challenge to launch a campaign against the suspension of the Chief Justice.

Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Durrani told Dawn that it would be wrong to say that the prime minister had been asked to cut his visit short because it was a two-day visit.

He said that he was in possession of the prime minister’s itinerary.

Mr Durrani refused to confirm that the president would preside over a high-level meeting on return of the prime minister.

He said the president was scheduled to address a public rally and would be out of the capital on Thursday.