ISLAMABAD, June 8: Pakistan Muslim League (PML) president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Tuesday announced the nomination of Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim as the party's candidate for the office of the chief minister of Sindh.

Addressing a press conference at his residence, he said that before ratification of Arbab Rahim's name as chief minister they had taken into confidence their allies at the centre.

Flanked by MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar and PML secretary-general Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chaudhry Shujaat expressed the confidence that Arbab Rahim, after taking the oath of office, would take all the allied parties along. He said all the allied parties would support the new chief minister.

Referring to the resignation of outgoing chief minister Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar, the PML president said he had resigned due to personal reasons. He sought to dispel an impression that Mr Mahar had resigned because of the law and order situation in the province, saying "Mahar stepped down at a time when the law and order situation was improving".

Chaudhry Shujaat pointed out that Mr Mahar had informed the party leadership about his intention four months ago. In reply to a question about the new set-up, he said: "All the allies would get a share in the provincial cabinet".

About differences between Arbab Rahim and Imtiaz Sheikh, he said: "We did talk to both the leaders and asked them to end their personal differences, if there is any".

Dr Sattar said the name of the new chief minister had been announced with mutual consensus. He hoped that Arbab Rahim would take along all the allied parties and work for political, social and economic betterment of the province.

He said that the recent change had nothing to do with the law and order situation. Answering a question, he said there might not be massive reshuffle in the cabinet and only minor adjustments would be made.

PPP leader Rao Sikandar Iqbal, who was also present on the occasion, demanded due share in the provincial cabinet as the PPP had seven members in the Sindh Assembly. -APP

AHMED HASSAN ADDS: Responding to questions about the opposition's demand that Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad should have been removed if the law and order situation in Karachi was to be improved, Chaudhry Shujaat said: "We would have done it if the change had been sought to streamline the law and order alone".