MQM's meeting with president cancelled

PPP lawmakers in Sindh give their mandate to President Zardari to negotiate with PML-Q to forge an alliance.

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI:

A delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was scheduled to meet President Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House in Karachi today (Sunday) however the meeting has been cancelled.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership and Governor Ishratul Ibad were supposed to attend the meeting which was scheduled amidst MQM's boycott of the Sindh Assembly, Senate and National Assembly sessions to protest against certain statements issued by Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza.

Updated from print edition (below)

PPP eyes alliance with PML-Q, struggles to appease MQM

While neither the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) nor its estranged ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) seem ready to budge from their respective stances ahead of a crucial meeting scheduled for Sunday (today), PPP lawmakers in Sindh have given their mandate to President Asif Ali Zardari to negotiate with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and forge an alliance with the party in the federal and Punjab governments.

The MQM has put forward tough conditions to remain in the alliance in Sindh, which the PPP says it cannot accept. However, even if the proposed meeting fails, the interaction between the two would continue, both sides say.

“Our position is clear. We have genuine concerns: PPP must disassociate itself from the Peoples Aman Committee. We will not accept anything short of this,” a parliamentarian from the MQM said while talking to The Express Tribune.

And while the MQM does not  publicly demand the removal of Dr Zulifiqar Mirza from the office of Sindh home minister, most of its concerns revolve around his statements and his alleged patronisation of people whom the MQM dubs as gangsters. The party wants, however, that the president remove Mirza from his office.

The fate of the proposed meeting seems increasingly uncertain, especially after the recent round of violence in Karachi.

The MQM said it has not received any confirmation from the Presidency for this meeting till late Saturday and, despite repeated attempts, there was no official confirmation of the proposed meeting till filing of this report.

A key PPP leader from Sindh, when asked to respond on MQM’s key demands, said none these could be acceptable to the party.

“They cannot dictate to us to this extent. Even if these demands are met, they would come up with a fresh set of demands. This is what has been going on for the last three years,” the PPP leader said, adding these were his personal views and not those of the party. MQM leader Wasay Jalil said there were a number of issues that would be discussed if the meeting takes place.

He said the outcome of the proposed meeting would determine the future relationship between the two parties.

When asked what would be the MQM’s line of action if this proposed meeting fails to yield any tangible results, he said “we would put everything before the Rabita Committee, since it’s the forum where the party takes every decision”.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who usually plays the interlocutor whenever relations between the parties reach a tipping point, is currently in London where he is expected to meet MQM chief Altaf Hussain in the coming days.

Politics of reconciliation

While the president ruled out any chances of parting ways with the MQM, he stressed on the need for working with all political forces, given the volatile political situation in the country.

“We are a political force and we have to remain in political mode,” the president said, while speaking to the parliamentary party of the assembly at the resident camp office, Bilawal House.

PPP lawmakers from Sindh backed the president’s proposal to go along with Chaudhry brothers-led PML-Q. The final decision will be taken at the Central Executive Committee meeting of the party.  There is no permanent enemy in politics and doors should always be open for reconciliation, sources in the party quoted President Zardari as saying.

“If we can work with people who attacked me in jail, what is the harm in forging an alliance with the PML-Q which is willing to work on a minimum agenda?” argued the president, sources added.

“We should not indulge in confrontation and follow a policy of reconciliation,” the president added.

The president also stressed the need to keep the alliance with the MQM intact, sources said, adding that Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat ul Ebad Khan, along with other MQM leaders, will meet the president and share their party’s concerns.

President Zardari also directed MPAs to avoid talking against the judiciary and issuing harsh statements during assembly sessions.

“I do not believe in taking action against individuals, because nothing changes just by removing anyone. We have to work together to strengthen our institutions,” he said.

He urged members of the assembly to interact with people in their constituencies, listen to their problems and try resolving them.

Admitting that no political force can deliver 100 per cent on their promises, he urged them to make their best efforts. He said he would be in Karachi for two more days and hold meetings on agriculture, education and power sector.

The president also directed the chief minister to form a political committee to discuss problems faced by the business community of the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2011.