ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has agreed to stay in the coalition government after President Asif Ali Zardari assured the party that its grievances would be addressed.
“President Zardari is like a fatherly figure for the government and the PPP. We hope he will resolve the matter sooner than expected. We have left the matter with the president and now it is up to him to resolve the issue,” Sattar said on Monday after leading an MQM delegation in a meeting with the president. PPP ministers Rehman Malik and Babar Awan also attended the meeting.
However, Sattar avoided questions on whether the president had agreed to sack Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza for his anti-MQM statements.
“I can’t give the details of the meeting,” he said, adding that the country could not afford political instability at this critical juncture. He said political parties should have consultations prior to making any controversial statement public.
The MQM leader added that the president had told the MQM delegation that he would take up the matter immediately both with the Sindh government and the PPP. He hoped that the president would resolve the issue permanently, so that differences did not occur again.
Asked about the MQM’s 10-day deadline, the law minister said deadlines in politics meant no more than calling attention notices. “Taking notice of the MQM’s calling attention notice, the president has promised to address the issue,” Awan said.
He said President Zardari would be in Sindh for some days for the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto and more details of the roadmap to resolve differences with the MQM would be finalised there.
The interior minister said the body language of both the coalition
partners was enough evidence to prove that MQM was satisfied with the president’s assurances.
Meanwhile, a press release issued by the Presidency said the president had taken cognisance of the MQM’s reservations. President Zardari assured the MQM delegation that appropriate measures would be taken to address their concerns. The president said that the PPP believed in reconciliation and had great respect for all its coalition partners.
