MQM-P nudges towards PPP for long-term ties

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Monday agreed to form a long-term working relationship in the “wider interest of the nation” in a meeting held to discuss the political situation arising out of the no-trust motion tabled against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In a statement, the PPP said that the leadership of the two parties discussed the prevailing political situation in the country and that both the sides “agreed on a long-term working relationship in the wider interest of the nation”. “The PPP also agreed with all the points of the MQM-P.”

The MQM-P sources, while sharing details of the meeting, said that the PPP offered governorship of Sindh to the MQM-P among other things. However, they added that consensus on having a working relationship was a positive step but the PPP needed to practically prove a few things before the voting on the no-trust motion.

Leaving the “bitter experiences of the past in the past”, the sources said, it was the PPP which had to prove its word with actions. “The MQM-P wants that other opposition parties should also come forward as ‘guarantors’. This is one of the conditions to move forward,” one of the sources said.

The MQM-P delegation, comprising Information Technology Minister Aminul Haq, Aamir Khan, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Wasim Akhtar, Khawaja Izhar and Javed Hanif, called on PPP Parliamentarians President Asif Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at the Zardari House in Islamabad.

For the PPP, former prime minister and Opposition Leader in Senate Yousuf Raza Gilani, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah besides Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Saeed Ghani, Sharjeel Memon, and others attended the talks.

Soon after the PPP’s statement, the MQM-P issued its own statement, saying that the meeting was the continuation of the political process that had been ongoing for the last several days. It said that the MQM-P’s position on issues of urban Sindh – Karachi and Hyderabad – was put before the provincial ruling party.
The MQM-P said that the top leadership of the PPP agreed to establish permanent and better links for the resolution of the problems of the citizens of Sindh, adding that it was agreed to resolve administrative and legal issues through legislation.

An MQM-P spokesperson said that the current political situation, including no-confidence motion, was also discussed but added that the party would decide about the political situation, including the no-confidence motion, after taking into account its own people and their interests.

The talks between the PPP and the MQM-P were part of a flurry of meetings taking place in the federal capital and Lahore for discussion on the no-confidence motion and the future course of action of the joint opposition.

Read more: MQM-P assures PM of 'full support', says Qureshi

These included a joint meeting of the leaders of the joint opposition held at the residence of the Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad in which important decisions were taken regarding the overall political situation in the country and the no-trust motion.

Another important meeting took place in Lahore between a disgruntled faction of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), known as the Jahangir Khan Tareen group, and the PML-N. According to a statement, both sides had joined hands to oust Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

The PML-N delegation, led by Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz, visited the residence of Tareen, who is currently in London for medical treatment. The delegation included Sardar Owais Leghari, Ataullah Tarar, Khawaja Salman Rafique and Zeeshan Rafique.

The meeting comes days after Tareen’s group announced that they would only support the government in the no-confidence move if it accepted their condition of removing Buzdar. The statement said that both sides discussed the political situation of the country and agreed to remain in contact.

The Tareen group “expressed disappointment” over the state of affairs in Punjab and consensus was reached with the PML-N for the removal of Buzdar, the statement added. The lawmakers also criticised the performance of the Buzdar-led provincial government, saying that corruption and inflation were on the rise.

Also read: ‘Shujaat is like a brother to PM’, says Fawad as govt again reaches out to ally

The Tareen group members told Hamza that they would share details of the meeting with their leader who would give the final verdict on the cooperation between the two sides. Hamza also said that he would convey their concerns and put their demands before the senior leadership of his party.

Earlier during an internal meeting, most of the Tareen group members favoured joining the opposition’s coalition. They complained that Tareen was treated unfairly by the ruling PTI while the group members were being victimised. Under these circumstances, they said, they could no longer side with the government.

Meanwhile, after meeting with the PPP, the MQM-P delegation also met with PML-Q leadership – Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. The meeting comes as the three main allies of the PTI government – the PML-Q, the MQP-P and the BAP – are working together in the wake of the opposition’s no-trust move.

Besides, Federal Minister of Narcotics Control Brig (retd) Ijaz Ahmed Shah met with the Chaudhry brothers to discuss the ongoing political situation and possible alliance of different parties ahead of the no-trust motion.

In addition, Shujaat and Elahi also met Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, who has recently resigned from the post of the special assistant to prime minister after being ignored for months. Rind presented a bouquet to Shujaat and discussed the current political situation in Balochistan with the PML-Q leadership.