Talks rumoured underway: PPP again asks MQM to join Sindh govt

Sources say MQM offered three ministries including that of trade and commerce.


Amir Khan November 24, 2013
Sources say MQM offered three ministries including that of trade and commerce. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI:


Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led Sindh government has once again invited its former ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to become part of the provincial government.


According to sources privy to the development, the Sindh government on the instruction of the PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, has re-established backdoor contacts with the MQM and has offered it a number of ministries including that of commerce and industries.

Sources say both the parties, agreeing to take forward the negotiation process, have constituted a 6-member committee, whose members – three from each party – will be announced soon. They say the parties will start upon formal negotiation by the next week.

According to Daily Express, the former Interior Minister Rehman Malik is playing an important role in the deal, adding that the meeting earlier in the month in Dubai between the MQM delegation and Zardari was in connection with the ongoing negotiations.



There were differences between the two parties on issues including Sindh Local Government Act 2013, new delimitations and Karachi operations. However in the above meeting in which the MQM delegation met the PPP co-chairman in the presence of Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan headways were made towards an agreement, the newspaper says.

According to sources, the PPP had assured the MQM that it would address their reservations in a phased manner and would take the party into confidence over local government system and delimitation process.

Following this assurance, the MQM leadership had had a detailed consultation and later the backdoor channel between the two was revived.

Sources say the provincial leadership of the PPP has been holding talks with the MQM for the last 3 days and that if the MQM joins Sindh government; it will have three ministers and two advisers in the SIndh cabinet. Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah is also due to meet Sind governor next week in this connection.

The MQM sources say the party will join Sindh government only after its reservations are addressed. They say any decision will be taken with the consultation of the supporter and workers and after the approval of the leader of the movement Altaf Hussain, adding that so far nothing has been finalised.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2013.

COMMENTS (14)

mrs ahmed | 10 years ago | Reply

NO ,NO , NO , MQM first demand local body elections and directly elected mayor with adminstration and power over police , education transport health like all mega cities in the world exist. Last five years has been a total waste for us true karachiites all the good work done by mustafa lost , PPPhave no desire for the welfare of the people , MQM when ever give power with mandate they have done it proved it , because it believes in merit and honesty where as nepotism is the life line of PPP

Sophya Khan | 10 years ago | Reply

@Aysha M: you mean nobody else in the universe can have the same name as yours? great... that is why Farooq Sattar bhai was so furious when he first heard of namaloom afrad in the FIR! please learn to tolerate others as well :)

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