KARACHI, July 30: Pir Pagara, veteran leader of the Pakistan Muslim League, has said his differences with the Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain led PML are based on principle, and he has taken a principled stand on them.

He denied having any contacts with Mian Muhammad Azhar or other PML leaders, who also had made their differences public over the handling of PML matters by Shujaat Hussain. Pir Pagara on Wednesday announced parting ways with the unified PML, and reviving his own faction PML-F after controversy over registration of the party as merged league instead of an agreed unified PML.

Pir Pagara, according to a spokesman, made these remarks when a delegation of Jats and his party supporters called on him at Kingri House on Friday. The delegation told Pir Pagara that most of the Jats living in Sindh were with him, and said the Shujaat led party - naming it as jutt league - was contrary to ground realities.

Pir Pagara regretting his remarks, said he never meant to hurt anyone's feelings, nor did he ever indulge in politics of nationalism. He cited Sindh minister for law and parliamentary affairs Chaudhry Iftikhar as a proof of that. The latter, belonging to the Jat community, was Pir Pagara's nominee.

He corrected himself, saying that in future he would not use the word of jutt league, but address the party as Shujaat league. Besides the delegation of Jats, led by Iftikhar Ahmad, others who called on Pir Pagara included MNA Abdul Quddous Rajar, ex-Senator Syed Zulfikar Ali Shah Jamote, Haji Khuda Bux Raja, Faqir Jadam Mangrio, MPA Jam Madad Ali, MPA Naila Inam and others from interior Sindh. They all expressed full confidence in his leadership.