LAHORE, May 17: Millat Party chief Farooq Leghari's decision to merge the party with the ruling PML-Q has caused a rift among its senior members. Some of these 'disgruntled' members have chosen not to attend even its National Council meeting being held at Alhamra on Tuesday to formally approve the merger plan, it is learnt.

All 44 members of the National Executive Committee, all central and provincial office-bearers and presidents and secretaries-general of district units are ex-officio members of the National Council.

Sources in the party say that Sindh and NWFP chapters of the party are specially disturbed over the merger plan. Of them, former information minister and senior vice-president Javed Jabbar has already openly opposed the idea, while central information secretary Brig Muhammad Yusuf (retired) has resigned from his office in protest.

Some party members even tried to form their own faction after Mr Leghari revealed its merger plan last month but their effort could not materialize. All senators and MNAs of the Millat Party as well as of other components of the National Alliance are, however, in favour of joining the PML-Q.

But MPAs from Sindh province (elected to the provincial assembly from the platform of Sindh Democratic Alliance, SDA) are divided into two groups on the issue. Five of them, led by Imtiaz Shaikh, have agreed to join the ruling party while 12 being led by Arbab Ghulam Rahim are yet opposing the idea.

They are meeting in Karachi on Tuesday (today) to discuss the issue. "It will be clear on May 19 (Wednesday) whether the Millat Party will merge with the PML-Q as a whole or only some personalities are joining the ruling party," the insiders said.