ISLAMABAD, May 10: Commenting on a report in Dawn’s Thursday issue, a spokesman of the Senate Secretariat said that the Senate Chairman had come to Islamabad from Lahore according to his pre-planned schedule on Sunday May 6 and walked to the Rawal Lounge before leaving for Islamabad straightaway. He confirmed that the chairman went back to Lahore the same day and later left for Karachi.

The spokesman said that on the flight from Lahore to Islamabad it was “merely by chance” that the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, was also travelling. “Neither the seats of the two gentlemen were adjoining in the aircraft nor did they travel together by the same car from the tarmac to the Rawal Lounge or sat there for any discussions”. Hence, the part of the said report that “after disembarking at Islamabad airport, the two sat togather in a car that took them from the tarmac to the Rawal lounge of the airport where they had more talks” for over one hour or so, is not correct.

Our correspondent adds: Mr Soomro and Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry were seated on seat no 21J (Muhammad Mian Soomro) in flight PK386 from Lahore to Islamabad, while Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was on seat no 21L and nobody was sitting between the two (on seat 21K), according to passenger’s list available with Dawn.