ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) coalition teeters on the brink as the latter doubts the major partner’s seriousness to resolve the issues, since whenever a situation arises a committee is formed and assurances are made but nothing happens on the ground. Tuesday’s meeting of the MQM delegation with President Asif Ali Zardari also concluded with another promise, which has left the MQM leadership pondering what to do in future because such promises have proven false in the past.
The MQM coordination committee is in two minds when it comes to parting ways with the PPP and it has decided to wait and see – at least for a week – to gauge the seriousness of the PPP. “In each and every meeting, the PPP leaders give a new promise and a new committee is formed but despite many deliberations no result emerges. Same was the case with Tuesday’s meeting as the president formed another committee with another promise,” an MQM insider told Pakistan Today. He said the coordination committee was also pondering on how to react to the cold response by the president.
“During his meeting with the MQM delegation, rather than giving clear instructions to remove their concerns, he left the matter to a committee – just to delay the issues raised by the visitors,” he added. “The MQM leadership is now in a fix. It does not want to take a hasty decision which may compromise its expansion plan to other provinces as any immediate conflict with the ruling government would limit its focus to Sindh. “The MQM will only wait for a week to evaluate the seriousness and the quality of response from the government. Meanwhile, serious efforts to unite the scattered opposition and forge a formidable alliance to put pressure on the government will be supported.
If nothing practical materialises within a week, then the party would make a final decision,” added the source. A PPP legislator said that the MQM delegation was given a cold shoulder just to convey that the president did not like the negative tactic of a coalition partner blackmailing the government. The insider also referred to the numerous demands of the MQM leaders, saying that rather than taking up a one-point agenda – as was claimed in the media – the Karachi-based party had raised many other issues in the meeting and the Mirza’s statement was not a priority matter.
“The issue that is a bone of contention between the two allies is the allegation by the MQM that the PPP is trying to change the demographics of Karachi. The other contentious issue is the difference of opinion on the revival of the magistracy system for which a draft bill has been prepared and will soon be tabled in the Sindh Assembly,” the source added.
