ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: Chief ministers of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan here on Saturday called on Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and discussed with him matters pertaining to his vote of confidence and the reorganization of the ruling PML-Q.
Official sources told Dawn that the prime minister informed the chief ministers and other participants, including PML-Q parliamentary party leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, that he will meet some more MNAs on Sunday with a view to getting their support for the Dec 30 NA session in which he is to seek vote of confidence.
According to the sources, the participants were sure the PM this time will secure 184 votes. Earlier, he got 172 votes to become the prime minister of the country.
A PML-Q spokesman, Azeem Chaudhry, when contacted, said the PM discussed with the participants all the aspects relating to his vote of confidence.
Azeem said that a number of MNAs from Fata, Punjab and Sindh had assured of their support to the prime minister on Monday.
“All the three chief ministers and other participants of the meeting believe that Mr Jamali this time will get 184 votes,” he said.
He said the meeting did not believe that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) would oppose the PM in the crucial vote. “We believe that the MMA will not vote for or against the PM, and this does not bother us,” Azeem Chaudhry said, who is also the central information secretary of the ruling PML-Q.
The issue of party leadership, he said, also figured in the meeting, with prime minister hoping that everything will be settled smoothly and that differences will not be allowed to crop up in the party.
He said the party’s general council was meeting on Dec 31 to discuss the election of new president of the PML-Q. “And this has been agreed that the new president of PML-Q will be Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain”.
However, he said, the election of the new party president will be held in the second week of January, 2003. An election commission, he said, would be set up to supervise the election of the new office-bearers.
According to a handout issued after the meeting, Prime Minister Jamali underlined the need for promoting the policy of accommodation and tolerance in the national politics with a view to strengthening democratic institutions in the country.
“We will take all parties along for the welfare, progress and prosperity of the people and make every possible effort by pursuing welfare-oriented policies to come up to the expectations of the people,” the prime minister said.
All the three chief ministers and the ministers expressed their confidence in the leadership of the prime minister and said they would stand by him under all circumstances.
Those who attended the meeting, besides the three chief ministers, were Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Acting President of the PML-Q, Lt-Gen (retd) Abdul Majeed Malik, Senior Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Federal Ministers Abdus Sattar Lalika, Faisal Saleh Hayat and Nourez Shakoor and Ministers of State, Rais Munir Ahmed, Raza Hiraj and Khalid Lund.