Pakistan Muslim League President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Friday said that the decision whether or not to field Humayun Akhtar's brother for the slot of Lahore Nazim will be made by the party. President General Pervez Musharraf came to help in ending Shujaat-Humayun differences, though they denied he had any role in this connection. Like the past, President Musharraf continues to influence PML and may one-day take charge of the party, PML sources told Business Recorder here.
The PML head announced this, while speaking at a news conference along with Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar, after they jointly met President General Pervez Musharraf in the afternoon. "Humayun Akhtar has also agreed that the party decision will be readily acceptable to him".
Shujaat had been opposing nomination of Humayun's younger brother to replace sitting Lahore Nazim Amir Mehmood, while Humayun wanted his brother nominated at all costs, the sources said.
The PML chief vehemently denied differences with Humayun and said some elements wanted to pitch both against each other.
"I was misquoted in a recent interview. I had laid emphasis on the Parliament's supremacy and nothing else," Humayun, the son of late general and chief of ISI Akhtar Abdul Rehman, said.
Shujaat dispelled the impression that President Musharraf had played any role in removing differences, adding that the president wanted the PML to move forward with unity in its ranks.
"We are jointly speaking to you, which is the proof that there are no differences between me and Humayun Akhtar," Shujaat said with concern visible on his face. He also said that he would welcome new faces to lead the party.
The PML chief brushed aside reports that a change at the party's top slot was likely and even that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was being sent home anytime.
About the upcoming local bodies' elections, he said that these would be held as scheduled and there was no possibility of the postponement.
He declined to make any comment on India's refusal to give permission to Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to visit Indian occupied Kashmir.
Shujaat said that there was no justification to fulfil the demand of some MNAs that before the LB elections, accountability of Nazims and Naib Nazims be held.
To a question, he said that the coalition partners would get their due share in the local bodies' elections.
"I stand by my statement that I am in search of a federal minister who violates the party discipline," he said in response to another question.
He said that his patience should not be interpreted as his weakness and that he would pay no attention to those who wanted to create trouble in the party ranks.
About his meeting with the president, he said that party matters, local bodies' elections and the president's visit to Saudi Arabia came under discussion.