In the first sign of bonhomie between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Shah Mehmood Qureshi voiced his party’s appreciation to Altaf Hussain and his party for observing a day of mourning against violent clashes in Islamabad.
Monday’s phone call was the first direct contact between the two parties which have been at loggerheads for several years. Qureshi, who serves as PTI’s vice chairman, said that he thanked the MQM chief on behalf of his party for condemning the clashes and use of brute force against protesters which resulted in multiple deaths in the capital.
“With the deadlock persisting, every Pakistani needed advice of sensible leaders like Altaf,” the PTI leader said.
Calling for restraint from all sides, the MQM chief said that politicians including Tahirul Qadri, Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif, should rise above their personal differences for the sake of democracy and the stability of institutions.
Altaf cautioned that the country was passing through a sensitive phase and overseas Pakistanis were deeply concerned about the protracted political crisis that has gripped the nation. With economic indicators in the red and growing threat to democracy and its institutions, he said that the country was in great danger.
Reiterating his party’s stance, the MQM chief vowed that his party would support the resolution of issues between the two sides through dialogue.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 2nd, 2014.
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