ISLAMABAD, Feb 19: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) president, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, on Saturday announced that a three-member fact-finding mission will be sent to Karachi to probe into the causes which led to the ouster of Sindh revenue minister Imtiaz Sheikh.

A decision has also been taken in principle to set up prime minister's inspection commission (PMIC) to probe into the Arbab-Imtiaz tussle which prompted them to level serious charges of corruption and malpractice against each other.

The PMIC is expected to be notified on the prime minister's return from Saudi Arabia, sources told Dawn. Talking to newsmen before embarking on his Saudi Arabian trip on Friday, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had hinted at a thorough inquiry into the bitter tussle that had erupted after the sacking of Mr Sheikh as provincial minister.

Meanwhile, PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has denied reports that he had summoned Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and sacked minister Imtiaz Sheikh to the federal capital.

Arbab Rahim had visited the federal capital last week and had in his meetings with Prime Minister Aziz and PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain hinted at his impending decision of sacking Imtiaz Sheikh.

PML information secretary and minister of state for overseas Pakistanis Senator Tariq Azim told Dawn that the party team will be led by veteran politician Lt-Gen (retd) Abdul Majeed Malik and consist of former National Assembly speaker Gohar Ayub Khan and former deputy speaker Fazle Agha. The team will submit its findings to the party president in shortest possible time.

Mr Azeem said that the Sindh crisis had two aspects: one was the administrative action taken by Sindh chief minister and the other was Mr Sheikh's party office.

The PML had decided to tackle both separately, he said. Accordingly, while the party mission will deal with issues relating to Mr Sheikh's position in the party, the PMIC will report about the merits of the administrative action.

On the basis of the party's fact-finding mission's report, the PML chief will decide whether or not Mr Sheikh should remain the party's provincial secretary general. Mr Sheikh had demanded that the president and prime minister set up an impartial commission to probe into the charges he had levelled against Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Rahim.

This correspondent has learnt on good authority that during his meetings with party confidants over the last two days, Mr Shujaat has taken a serious view of the one-sided action taken by the Sindh CM against his minister and decided to meet the prime minister as soon as he returns from Saudi Arabia and discuss a punitive measure for Mr Rahim for his perceived violation of party discipline.

Sources said that Mr Rahim had ignored the advice of Shujaat not to take an extreme action without taking the party high command into confidence and instead consulted former Millat Party president Sardar Farooq Leghari on the matter.

A close aide of Mr Leghari claimed that with the setting up of party mission and the PM's commission, the charged atmosphere will cool down. Rumours also swirled in the federal capital that the Sindh CM had refused to oblige the party president who had summoned him to Islamabad to explain his position. But Mr Shujaat quashed these rumours, saying had he summoned Mr Rahim and Mr Sheikh then what was the point in appointing a three-member fact-finding mission which was being dispatched to Karachi immediately.

Tariq Azeem said that the decision of sending the party mission had been taken in the absence of its members. The party president will contact them and direct them to proceed to Karachi immediately.