ISLAMABAD:
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has formally invited the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman faction) to a proposed roundtable conference.
A three-member delegation of the MQM, comprising Farooq Sattar, Nasreen Jalil and Haider Abbas Rizvi, extended the invitation during a meeting with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday.
The JUI-F chief, however, appeared to be noncommittal. “…Our talks with the MQM will continue on the subject,” said the Maulana after the meeting.
“MQM’s fresh campaign has given us hope that we would be able to implement the recommendations of Parliament,” he added, while lamenting that such all-party conferences had produced little in the past.
The implementation of parliamentary resolutions has always been a cause of concern for the opposition in particular.
Earlier, during Yousaf Raza Gilani’s tenure as prime minister, incumbent premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had been appointed chairperson of a special committee of the National Assembly to oversee the implementation of parliamentary resolutions. While Premier Ashraf held the office for a few months, little progress took place.
In addition, the JUI-F chief underlined the need for a paradigm shift, saying, “We need national solidarity and this should be Pakistan’s priority instead of a foreign agenda.”
The Maulana also managed to subtly raise objections to the new contempt law, saying: “New compulsions have compelled new legislation. However, this one-sided process of legislation will perhaps not be acceptable to us.”
Addressing the media, MQM deputy convener Farooq Sattar said the meeting was an effort to implement MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s call for forging unity among political forces to save Pakistan from ‘unseen threats’.
He revealed that President Asif Ali Zardari, at the request of MQM, had already directed Prime Minister Ashraf to convene the proposed roundtable conference. Sattar added that a roadmap needed to be prepared to help with the pre- and post-election scenario.
The MQM leader said that the proposed conference would also address issues related to the economy, energy, extremism and sectarianism.
Earlier, the MQM had invited its rival Awami National Party to the roundtable which was readily accepted by the latter.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2012.
COMMENTS (6)
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People of Pakistan should be very clear about Altaf Hussain and his power games, at a time like this he is organizing so called round table conference, just because they want to divert the attention of people to notice the changes they are going to make.. an I bet PPP Top Leadership is fully involved and on their behalf its all organized, they are 100% failed to provide citizens of Pakistan with food, electricity, water, home.. then why this drama on drama is about?? they have hidden agenda's all the time they don't care if people are dying with the lack of food, or money crisis they just want to secure their Ministries so they can take ALL.. that is the basic purpose of MQM right at the time.. on the behalf of PPP and I won't be surprised if Nawaz is totally backing them..
Opportunities .... planning for next game plan for benefit.
This round table for what? By who? Just a publicity stunt. They will come, sit, eat, speak and spread, with out agreeing on anything. Please do not expect any output. Just a waste of time because they have lots of time to fool AWAM. The biggest looser and the biggest Criminal of Pakistan is AWAM. They are fooled by everybody for last 64 years but they have not learned any thing to judge these leaders.
Whether the table is round, square or oval shape, it does not matter, the end result should be positive which should develop understanding between all political parties and break the barriers of ethnicity, biased policies against each other, hatred and every one should stand shoulder to shoulder as a Pakistani to take Pakistan on the road of success.
All political leader's should understand one thing very clearly that none of the political party's flags are above than the one and only flag of Pakistan.
The voters of Pakistan have more political acumen than the leaders of political or religious parties and they will not be playing in the hands of any political party any more.
0 + 0 = 0
A very clever person Maulana. Very swiftly expressed lot of peoples concern about the dictation of a foreign national.