In a surprise move, Jamali had handed over his resignation to the PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain at the meeting of the party Central Executive Committee (CEC) on Monday protesting over the irresponsible attitude of the party president and the Prime Minister.
The former Prime Minister also avoided attending the second-day meeting of the CEC held at the Prime Minister House. Sources said that differences between the party chief and former Prime Minister still persisted and no headway was made despite his meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf. However, the party has also not accepted his resignation so far in an effort to motivate him to withdraw it. Jamali called on Musharraf on Tuesday informing the later about his reservations against Pakistan Muslim League (PML) leadership.
He complained to President Musharraf that the party leadership ignored him, did not inform him about the party meetings and take him into confidence over the important matters. Jamali also presented a copy of the charge sheet against Shujaat to the president, which he also presented to the party leadership on Monday. Musharraf assured him to raise the issue with PML president Chaudhry Shujaat to redress his grievances amicably, sources added. Later, PML President Chaudhry Shujaat told reporters that he kept on wooing Jamali with offering way of talks to defuse tension but proved futile.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said that PML had decided to form a policy-planning group to start consultative process with party central and provincial leadership to devise comprehensive strategy for the future elections. PML President Chaudhry Shujaat, Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani and State Minister for Information Tariq Azeem were also present on the occasion.
The proposed 'Policy Planning Group' would be headed by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz while central and provincial PML heads to be its members, he added. He said the PML would also start mass mobilisation drive before general elections. The Prime Minister further said that present assemblies would complete its five-year tenure.
Aziz while responding to a question said that he refused to accept Nilofar Bakhtiar's resignation from her ministry. To a question, Chief Minister Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim ruled out holding judicial inquiry into May 12 incident and provincial government would itself investigate the matter. He also rejected the impression that MQM was behind the Karachi killings saying its activities gathered to counter opposition parties.