ISI chief pays surprise visit to Karachi, meets Zardari twice

KARACHI – Political parties have taken a U-turn after chief of the premier intelligence agency met with President Asif Ali Zardari, sources told Pakistan Today.
The political situation of the country suddenly changed after a surprise visit of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief to Karachi on Saturday night. Upon his arrival in the city, the ISI chief met twice with the president. “Had there been any scheduled high-profile visit, security agencies would have been informed about it. Since no high-profile visit of the ISI chief was scheduled for Karachi, this was a surprise visit,” sources said.
They claimed that after the controversial role of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in the politics of the country, intelligence agencies responsible for protecting national interests had to interfere in the country’s affairs. The ISI chief visited Karachi by his private plane and met Zardari. He also attended a high-level meeting at the local office of the intelligence agency.
Following that meeting, the ISI chief met with Zardari again that night. On Sunday, the political situation took a U-turn and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) dealt with the MQM strictly. The PPP refused to accept MQM’s demands, compelling the MQM to move to the opposition benches. Earlier, controversies between the PPP and the MQM were apparently approaching their end, and Interior Minister Rehman Malik was playing an important role in this regard.
“Some changes were being made by the PPP in the Sindh Cabinet just to fulfil the demands of the MQM,” sources claimed. Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza, Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza and two departments were going to go through some changes. However, after meeting with the ISI chief, Zardari took a strict stance and refused to accept any demand of the MQM.
A PPP leader told Pakistan Today on condition of anonymity that the party’s leaders and activists had made their agitation known to the president.
“PPP leaders were considering MQM’s demands as blackmailing tactics and wanted to strongly resist them,” he added. Sources said the MQM was continuously changing its demands and strictly criticising PPP members in the Sindh Cabinet.
“There is no threat to the PPP government,” they added.