The PPP is in no mood to go ahead with the coalition with its earlier coalition partners from Sindh – the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), as the ruling party wants to hold local government elections in the province, Pakistan Today learnt on Monday. However, the coalition could again be made if the MQM accepted the appointment of President Asif Zardari’s close associate Zulfikar Mirza in the Sindh cabinet and consented to the ruling party’s proposed new LG system.
Though, the postponement of Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections became the reason for the MQM’s quitting the coalition government, the MQM is too worried about the new local government system in Sindh, which is likely to be introduced this year. The break-up of the coalition was expected by the PPP’s central leadership particularly by Zardari and detailed discussion was also held by the leadership at Naudero recently, reliable sources in the PPP told Pakistan Today.
The election for the AJK in Karachi was postponed due to security concerns, they said, adding that a large number of outspoken leaders like Agha Siraj Durrani, Zulfikar Mirza, Murad Ali Shah and Nadir Magsi had time and again demanded President Zardari part ways with the MQM. Since the formation of the present government, the MQM had what the sources alleged ‘blackmailed’ the ruling party and got their demands accepted.
However, after the induction of the PML-Q, the government had no fear regarding the number of parliamentarians as required to form a government in the Centre, the sources added. “The Sindh government wants to hold LG elections in the province this year at any cost by replacing the city/district nazims with commissioners. However, the MQM is against the new system as it fears losing its political grip on Karachi,” the sources said.
Interestingly, in past whenever the MQM parted ways with the government, Interior Minister Rehman Malik was used to reach either party’s headquarter nine-zero or in London to persuade them to rejoin the government. But, this time, PPP’s central leader has been sent to Karachi to deal with the situation after consulting other party leaders.