Kashmir divides PPP and MQM

The PPP-led coalition government may find itself in yet another political imbroglio as MQM chief Altaf Hussain on Sunday accused his major partner in the government of backstabbing his party, declaring that the PPP’s betrayal marked the “beginning of the end of its government.”
However, the MQM chief stopped short of making a formal announcement of quitting the government during his fiery address to his party’s general workers’ meeting in Karachi. Meanwhile, Online reported that President Asif Ali Zardari had decided to replace Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah with MQM’s nemesis, former Sindh home minister Zulfiqar Mirza, because Shah had failed to control the law and order in Karachi.
As Sindh home minister, Mirza had often enraged the MQM with his critical speeches and statements and his removal from office was one of the conditions set by the MQM in return for its support to the government. Addressing his party workers on telephone from London, Altaf said the government had betrayed the MQM by trying to keep it away from the elections in Azad Kashmir. “We supported the government not for our personal gains but for the continuation of the democratic process and for establishing brotherly relations in the province,” he said, adding that his party had supported the PPP in its time of trial.
“Attempts to eliminate the MQM through state coercion will never succeed,” Altaf said, urging MQM workers to move the courts against the “mock elections held in AJK”. He also appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the elections by invoking the law and the constitution. “The Kashmiris have been robbed of their democratic right to vote through plunder and the entire exercise of the elections in AJK have not just only sunk into a swamp of doubt but are also totally unacceptable,” he said, adding, “We were urged to contest for one seat and leave the other for PPP.”
“Meetings were held at every level in the party and it was decided that enough was enough. Why should they be given the seat like this? What had they done? Had they arrested Benazir Bhutto’s killers that they were demanding seats like this?” he asked. He called the AJK elections unlawful and unconstitutional, saying the vote had been rigged through state coercion. “Today’s democratic government has proved itself to be worse than dictatorship by keeping the MQM away from the polls and burying the democratic norms,” he said.
Altaf said fresh elections should be held as the present elections had become doubtful because of the autocratic steps of the government. “The MQM had made full preparations for the elections of the AJK legislative assembly. In the elections the MQM had gained victory on two seats and it was expected that the MQM would definitely gain some additional seats as well. The MQM was forced to boycott the elections because of the autocratic steps of the government,” a press statement issued by the party said.
Altaf said the government was hiding its autocratic face under the cloak of democracy. “This cloak should be stripped so that the common people could see their real face.” Online reported that President Zardari, who arrived in London on Sunday, was likely to call on Altaf in a bid to soothe the tensions between the two estranged allies. Online sources claimed that Zardari would also discuss Zulfiqar Mirza’s appointment as Sindh chief minister with Altaf.
“President Zardari has already obtained clearance for Mirza as chief minister from the defence quarters,” sources told Online. All key political allies both within and outside PPP except for the MQM have also favoured the proposed change in Sindh.