ISLAMABAD, 3 May 2004 — Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has ruled out midterm elections but said the next general elections could be held two to four months early.
After a meeting with Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the prime minister said that with political consensus, general elections could be held four months earlier than the scheduled date.
He denied reports of a rift between him and Chaudhry Shujaat. “Chaudhry Shujaat is president of my party. I have held a detailed meeting with him to discuss a variety of issues. We are all going in the same direction to strengthen democracy and the country,” he said.
The prime minister also denied there was a wheat crisis in the country. He stated that all four provinces should sit together and sort out their problems through negotiations.
Sources said the prime minister in the meeting expressed strong reservations against PML-QA Vice President Syed Kabir Ali Wasti after Wasti wrote to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf demanding Jamali’s immediate removal.
Jamali argued Wasti’s letter was a direct attack on an elected prime minister. Shujaat said he sought a written explanation from Wasti and would wait for his reply before taking any decision.
The leaders also discussed whether the expansion of the federal Cabinet should take place before or after the unification of the five PML factions and the merger of National Alliance in the proposed united PML.
The prime minister stressed the need to expedite the process of unification of the five factions.
All factions of the League met at Jamali’s house earlier. The meeting decided that all Muslim League factions would remove their group tags and a General Council meeting will approve the merger of the factions.
