Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Wednesday told Interior Minister Rehman Malik to stop wasting his energies and time by asking the party to reconsider its alliance with Dr Tahirul Qadri, and should head to Model Town Lahore if he wanted to discuss the prevalent political situation. The MQM, however, assured the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) that it would not part ways with the coalition government. Malik, the PPP’s lead trouble shooter, had headed to London on Wednesday to talk the MQM’s self-exiled chief Altaf Hussain out of his decision of supporting Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran chief Qadri’s planned long march on January 14. The visiting minister was told that news of MQM’s separation from the government and derailing the current democratic system were mere rumours. Despite MQM’s claims of all is good, the duo of Qadri and Altaf has sent ripples across the political pond.
The president had the other day called PM Pervez Ashraf to Karachi to discuss the emerging alliance and talks of revolution, while the country’s main opposition, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, also called in a meeting in Lahore to discuss the newborn alliance. An affirmative Nawaz Sharif told his party members that the country did not need imported politicians and the nation was sick and tired of political gimmicks.
Nawaz said launching a long march was the democratic right of every party, but no one was allowed to take the law into their hands.
The PML-N chief said no conspiracy to derail democracy or delay elections would be allowed to succeed and all opposition parties would be contacted to defeat conspiracies and ensure holding of elections on schedule.
Meanwhile, an MQM statement said the party chief told Malik to meet Dr Tahirul Qadri to find a way out of the crisis. “It will be advised that a high-powered delegation of the PPP meets Dr Tahirul Qadri for obtaining information and knowing about his reservations,” the statement quoted Altaf as telling Malik.
The delegation, he said, should directly ask Dr Qadri what sort of reforms he wanted. The MQM chief negated the impression that by participating in the long march, his party wanted to derail the democratic setup or was intent to quit the ruling coalition.
“Rumours of the MQM leaving the government, wanting to delay the polls in the guise of the long march or the party being keen on derailing the democratic system are all misleading heresy,” Altaf told the interior minister. Altaf said he and Dr Qadri had vehemently denied such “rumours” on several occasions.
PPP, PML-N scramble to pre-empt ‘revolution’
