Monday’s ‘political somersault’ by the MQM earned a cautious reaction from the PML-N, but sent a wave of concern in the JUI-F that was hopeful of clinching the slot of the Senate opposition leader with the Altaf-led party’s backing.
Soon after the MQM’s decision of “partially” rejoining the government, the JUI-F top leadership held a meeting to discuss the latest political situation and the issue of the Senate opposition leader came under detailed discussion besides other issues, a source in the JUI-F told Pakistan Today.
A few days ago, six MQM senators had informed the Senate Secretariat in writing that the party supported the JUI-F’s Maulana Haideri as the leader of the opposition. Though political observers have been taken by surprise by the MQM move, political parties saw nothing surprising, keeping in view the MQM’s track record. The MQM’s decision truly proved that nothing is impossible in politics and it is merely the art of turning impossible into possible.
Senator Pervez Rashid of the PML-N refused to comment on the issue, saying it “is a sensitive matter and the PML-N will give our comment after deliberations within the party”. However, reacting to the patch-up between the MQM and PPP, PML-N’s central leader Ahsan Iqbal said the PML-N always had doubts about MQM’s political course of action. He asked the MQM ministers to rejoin the Sindh and federal cabinets as well, as it required courage to stay in the opposition.
Stale news: Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad of the Jamaat-e-Islami said MQM could not stay away from treasury benches.
“This is no politics… it is a game of interests,” he said, adding that the PPP and MQM’s separations and reunions were nothing new for the country’s politics. Kabeer Wasti of the PML-Q Likeminded said the decision was expected. “I had no doubt about MQM’s rejoining the PPP-led coalition as the party cannot work without being in the government,” he said.
