President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani held a one-on-one meeting on Friday and agreed to continue efforts to woo the MQM back into the coalition government.
Sources said the prime minister met the president at the Presidency following Zardari’s return from the UK. The two leaders discussed the over all political situation in the country, target killings in Karachi, departure of the MQM from government and the subsequent developments, the resignation of Sindh governor and the possible formation of a grand opposition alliance.
The sources said both leaders agreed that the MQM’s joining of the opposition posed no threat to the government however, all efforts should be made to woo it back to the government as it was “an old friend and ally”. “Anti-state elements are busy in designing conspiracies to dismember the country and fail the democratic system and isolate the country in the world,” Zardai said, adding the government would foil all such conspiracies.
The president said the government was not worried about the formation of the opposition alliances, as alliances were always formed against strong governments. Sources said that views were also exchanged on the handing over of portfolios to the ministers affected by the devolution process.
Zardari and Gilani decide not to give up on MQM
