Pakistan

MQM calls off ultimatum to quit govt

No details of the meeting were officially shared with the media.

Hafeez Tunio September 27, 2012

KARACHI:

Following telephonic contacts between President Asif Ali Zardari and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, MQM called off its three-day ultimatum to quit the government, quelling fears that the key coalition partner would walk out of the ruling setup.

Earlier, a meeting held between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and MQM leaders went on for hours at the Governor House. Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro and Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon of PPP, and Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Syed Sardar Ahmed, Dr Sagheer Ahmed and Raza Haroon of MQM attended the meeting.

No details of the meeting were officially shared with the media. However, sources privy to the development said the government of Sindh, on the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari, assured its coalition partners that the notification of a new local government system will be issued soon before appointing administrators in Karachi, Hyderabad and other districts.

The MQM’s reservations appear to have stemmed from the lack of movement by the PPP on introducing the new ordinance for local governments in Sindh in the provincial assembly. Additionally, as elections approach, the MQM looks set to raise issues that it feels will resonate with its constituents in the country.

There were also reports that MQM expressed concern over new responsibilities being awarded to former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza in either the federal or provincial government. But PPP leaders assured their ally that they had no such plan. When contacted, the leaders of PPP and MQM denied having discussed the Mirza issue. Official sources said the chief minister would approve a summary directing the provincial chief secretary to repeal the existing 1979 local government system and implement the ‘Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance 2012’. Following the notification, five metropolitan corporations in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Larkana will start functioning. Later, this ordinance will be moved in the Sindh Assembly within 90 days for debate. “PPP and MQM have a mandate in the Sindh Assembly. They can pass [it] with majority votes and we will do it,” MQM Rabta committee member Wasim Aftab said.

WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2012.