ISLAMABAD, Dec 8: The meeting between chairman of Irsa’s technical committee A.N.G. Abbasi and President Pervez Musharraf will be held on Tuesday to settle outstanding issues on the functioning of the committee, sources said here on Monday.

Meanwhile, the meeting between Power Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and chairman of Irsa’s technical committee A.N.G. Abbasi concluded on a positive note on Monday as the federal government promised to provide the body on contentious water issue logistic and infrastructure support.

Mr Abbasi’s meeting with President Gen Pervez Musharraf was postponed because of the latter’s engagements in connection with the visit of Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Mr Abbasi later told a group of journalists that he was satisfied with his meeting with the Power Minister, who, he said promised to provide adequate support to the technical committee. He said some “details” still remained to be sorted out but it was agreed that the committee’s importance would not be undermined.

He offered no comments on the issue of his status as head of the technical committee, saying it was one of the details that remained to be settled.

He also refrained from commenting on the composition of the committee, saying it would not do any good to discuss the matter publicly at this stage. He, however, said its members were nominated in consultation with provincial governments and he respected that.

He said Mr Sherpao was very positive about resolving problems faced by the committee.

Mr Abbasi said he would be given a temporary work-place at the chief engineering advisor’s office so that he could initiate work with the assistance of the power ministry officials and the chief engineering organisation.

He said he would call a regular meeting of the technical committee only after completing his spade work.

Seven members of the technical committee attended the meeting with the power minister. Mr Abbasi also held two private meetings with the power minister.