Back to the negotiation table
Pakistan’s political scene is always rife with one crisis or another. If there is no dharna going on, there is a strike in its place. If nothing else works, corruption allegations are reworked and through some political machination, some politicians are dragged through the tardy justice system of the country. This mudslinging aside, there are certain situations when a crisis provides a chance to start anew. MQM recently was presented with such a chance though it seems not so open to it.
The government was in negotiations with the MQM to come to a solution that was acceptable to all the stakeholders after the party was found to be involved in some serious illegal activities, mostly unearthed by the Rangers. However, the party has decided to end negotiations and has put forth three demands that it wants the government to fulfill before it comes back to the table. One of the demands – that the party should be allowed to carry out political activities — is legitimate, for the party is political howsoever we look at it. Its second demand, that its welfare wing should be allowed to carry out its activities, can be conceded on the condition that its financial affairs are overseen by some impartial third party. The most controversial of all, though, is its third demand: allowing Altaf Hussain’s speeches to be aired on media. As is the case, the MQM supremo is under investigation by UK’s Scotland Yard on allegations of money laundering, hate speech, inciting violence and murder. He has recently upped his attacks on country’s prime security agencies, military and politicians. As the MQM is in no position to offer guarantees about Altaf Hussain’s speeches, the government is in its right to deny this demand.
What does make sense, though, is the fact that as a political party MQM cannot just be wished away. It has strong following and quite dedicated one too. But instead of making it a part of the problem, it would be wise to make it a part of the solution, and that would be possible only when both the government and MQM come to an understanding.
