950822

Date and time

changed thrice

in a few

hours: Ajmal

KARACHI: The leader of Altaf Group negotiating team, Ajmal Dehlavi, said here on Tuesday night that he had neither received any communication from leader of the government negotiating team Prof N D Khan nor he had any direct contact with him as to the resumption of held up talks between Government and Altaf-Group.

Talking to APP Ajmal Dehlavi said that according to information available here Prof Khan has talked to Islamabad journalists and had told them that they were ready to resume talks on the evening of August 29 at Governor House Karachi.

He said that on Tuesday he received telephone from Zuhair Akram Nadeem, as well as from Izhar Amrohvi who told him that they are fixing August 29 for talks to resume at Governor House Karachi.

Ajmal Dehlavi said he told them that he would communicate a reply after consulting the members of his team.

However, he said, he again received a telephone call from Zuhair Akram Nadeem who told him that because of certain engagements on August 29 at Islamabad, talks can be held at Governor House Karachi on August 31.

Ajmal Dehlavi said that he informed him that he would consult members of his team and then communicate a reply in this regard.

Ajmal Dehlavi said here it was not all as he once again received telephonic message from Nadeem that talks can be held on August 29.

He said within few hours the government emissaries changed the date and time of talks thrice.

Still, he said, he told Nadeem that he would communicate his reply after due consultations with his team members.

Ajmal Dehlavi said that officially nothing has been communicated to him either about date or time or place for talks nor any contact made by Federal Law Minister Prof N D Khan in this regard.

He said if an official announcement is made about resumption of talks either on August 29 or 31, he would certainly give their reply about the same after consultations with his team members.

He pointed out that if his side at all needed any change in the date or time of talks, it could be at the most the change of time either in the morning or in the evening and a day earlier or a day after and nothing more.

To a question about Wednesday's Yaum-e-Saug and Yaum-e-Muzammat, Ajmal Dehlavi said that every effort will be made to keep the strike peaceful. He said instructions have been issued that journalists should not be interrupted in the performance of their professional duties.-APP