LAHORE:
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has constituted a committee which will meet a Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) delegation in Islamabad today, with the two set to discuss a possible electoral alliance and the political scenario pre and post general elections, sources in the PML-N told The Express Tribune.
Nawaz, who presided over a high level PML-N meeting in Murree on Monday, held talks with its senior leadership, following which he formed a three-member committee to hold talks with the MQM delegation.
Senator Ishaq Dar will head the PML-N’s committee, which also comprises Senator Pervez Rashid and MNA Sardar Mehtab Khan Abbasi.
According to an MQM official, MNA Farooq Sattar and Senator Babar Ghauri are the members of MQM’s delegation at present. However, he refused to divulge any information of what the meeting will be about.
According to reliable sources in the PML-N, Nawaz was informed by the party’s senior leadership that the MQM was willing to discuss key issues with them at the leadership level.
When Nawaz asked the senior party leadership about the agenda and purpose of their meeting, Senator Dar replied that the MQM wanted to develop a mutually beneficial understanding, vis-a-vis the ongoing political issues between the two parties, to discuss the political scenario before and after the elections and a possible electoral alliance, sources said.
Senator Dar added that Altaf Hussain’s party had approached the PML-N in July to have a meeting with Nawaz, but at the time, he was unavailable to meet them. Sources also said Senator Dar informed him MQM was also willing to discuss and negotiate with the PML-N on any possible electoral alliances.
Sources said that keeping in view MQM being an ally of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led coalition government, Nawaz directed the committee to talk to their counterparts with an open heart to discuss a pre and post election alliance.
According to the sources, PML-N’s committee will ask the MQM delegation to get the party to press the PPP for a smooth political transition from the current government to the next after the general elections. They confirmed that if the meeting is fruitful, then Nawaz will himself hold talks with MQM’s delegation. They also said that on one hand, MQM was willing to soften its stance towards PML-N, but at the same time it wanted to convey a strong message to the PPP about its future course of strategy with other political parties, in order to gain more benefits from the federal government.
It is pertinent to mention that in July, MQM had announced a planned roundtable conference on national security, featuring key stakeholders, including the military leadership, religious and political leaders and held meetings with major political parities, but the PML-N was unwilling to be a part of it. According to sources in both the parties, MQM has called off the roundtable conference and instead continues its talks with the PML-N.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2012.
COMMENTS (20)
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So here they are a few months ago: . http://youtu.be/jW7eRXNo6Fc . . And here they are talking about election alliance. WAHOOOO! This is like the WWF wrestling matches where they hit each other but not enough to make the other person bleed.
Imran Khan was right that all will unite against PTI. Now i will vote for PTI TOO. Shame on You PMLN. I regret
I guess its an irresponsible editorial from Tribune. All the parties in parliament are supposed to sit and formulate joint proposition for upcoming caretaker setup and this does by no means shows that they are going for election alliance. Please for the sake of God, don't play with words to malign parties & misinform people. Thanks!
MQM’s flexible approach in politics is praiseworthy, which seems to be aimed for the overall betterment, no party of Pak should bash MQM as each and every main stream party closely interacted with MQM
Both will be clean bowled by PTI
Soon there will be a news of electoral allaince with PPP too! Aagay Aagay Dikho hota hey kya
Time for a face change, yet loot and plunder will continue.
.. Shame on PMLN for Taking a U-Turn !!
PML-N or PTI, Both should look to make electoral alliance with MQM. If this move leads to any of these parties making next govt and getting rid of PPP, we should welcome this. Why give 25 seats of MQM so blindly to PPP?
I am ashamed that I supported PML (N) in paxt
Good to see all Statusquo parties making alliance. One think IK was correct in predicting this last year.
If one grants that PML-N is a status quo party for joining hands with MQM, then what is PTI's excuse for doing it? Politics, for both the corrupt and the honest, is all about power. If a politician does not want power, then he is not a politician. The grand ideals cannot be realized until adequate amount of this commodity is obtained first.
MQM Begging PMLN for political relevance....Keep it up NS.
PMLN feels happy in grabbing those rejected by PTI. The slogan 'Politics of Principles' has just went the drain.
oh so no issue. two rotten eggs !!
If PML N doing a blunder its no excuse that Imran Khan is doing the right thing. Doesn't he have brain?
Nice move .. i hope next CM of Sindh will be from MQM ....
it's difficult to trust Mian Nawaz Sharif, very often he tries to become one man show. though good move by MQM, PMLN and MQM should be natural allies, since their vote bank doesn't conflict.