Deadlock persists between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its coalition partner, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) over the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2012 which was issued in a meeting presided by President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday.
Giving directions that the local bodies elections in Sindh should be held before the general election, President Zardari gave two-month’s time to Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Governor Ishratul Ebad to hold talks with MQM’s core committee and resolve the issues, with the government’s other coalition partner Awami National Party also expressing reservations over the proposed ordinance.
In a meeting with President Zardari the other day, an ANP delegation led by Shahi Syed told the president that their party would not accept the local government system introduced by President Musharraf.
Earlier on Monday, a consensus on the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2012 had been reached after hours-long deliberation between the PPP and MQM.
According to some media reports, the terms for the new ordinance had been finalized early on Tuesday in the light of recommendations made by the PPP and MQM core committees during the meeting. An ad hoc system will be introduced till both parties evolve a consensus on the new local government law. Some reports suggested that the MQM was insisting on restoring the 2001 local bodies system with minor changes.
Leaders of both parties remained engaged in hectic consultations throughout the day – with the PPP leadership camped in the Chief Minister’s House and the MQM leaders deliberating on the draft of the ordinance in the Governor’s House.
The meetings continued for over 28 hours but no progress could be made by the time this report was made. Earlier in the day, Governor Ebad had announced that the new ordinance would be signed on Tuesday.
According to Geo News, Owais Muzaffar alias Tappi, a close confidante of President Zardari, intervened in the matter late on Tuesday night and requested Ebad and the MQM leaders to accompany him to the Chief Minister’s House to discuss the language of some legal points of the ordinance, which were causing a deadlock in the talks between the two parties.
According to the channel, the PPP leaders had objected to some legal points in the draft after which the provincial law minister amended the draft and took it to Governor’s House where he handed it over to the MQM leaders.
The channel said that the MQM leaders raised several objections on the amended draft, saying that the PPP had changed the points agreed by the MQM during their meeting on Monday.
A meeting between leaders of both parties was continuing when this report was made at 1.30am on Wednesday.
Meanwhile in Lahore, Punjab Governor Latif Khosa said that he had written a letter to the provincial government to hold local bodies election in the province.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has already opposed the holding of local government elections before the general election.
Addressing the fourth Pakistan Youth Congress, Governor Khosa said that the Punjab government should hold local government elections in line with the Sindh government’s intention to hold the polls.
He said Punjab should fulfill its constitutional obligation by holding the LG elections.
