The PPP senior leaders met for crisis talks on Tuesday after their second-largest partner (The Muttahida Qaumi Movement) announced its ministers were quitting the federal cabinet. President Asif Ali Zardari held talks with Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah at his Karachi residence to avoid any possibility of becoming a minority government.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said Monday it was withdrawing its two ministers from the federal cabinet - a move that could threaten the narrow parliamentary majority of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). "The president doesn't want to lose MQM's support and is in no mood to accept his ministers' resignations," a PPP leader told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"The interior minister is in contact with the MQM leadership to settle the differences." MQM spokesman Wasay Jaleel told AFP that the party had sent the resignation of Farooq Sattar, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, to the presidency while the resignation of Ports and Shipping Minister Babar Ghauri would be sent later.
The MQM has so far stopped short of leaving the coalition, raising the prospect that a deal could be reached to prevent them from joining the opposition. The party has 25 lawmakers in the national assembly but only two ministers in the federal cabinet.
If accepted, the MQM resignations would be a blow just weeks after the country's most prominent religious party took its three cabinet ministers and seven lawmakers out of the government, sparking fears of a domino effect. The religious party's leader and Pakistan's most prominent Islamic politician, pro-Taliban cleric Fazlur Rehman, said there was no chance of rejoining the government and demanded Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani resign.
APP adds: Interior Minister A. Rehman Malik has said that there is no deadlock with MQM and all its reservations would be addressed. He was talking to media persons after presiding over a meeting regarding anti-corruption drive, at camp office of National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC). The Minister said that he was giving assurance to the workers of MQM that all of their reservations would be removed.
Malik said that he had also talked to Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan and all the issues would be resolved amicably," he added. Meanwhile according to a private TV channel, Federal Minister for Ports & Shipping Babar Khan Ghauri has also sent his resignation to President Asif Ali Zardari. The channel further said that Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House and discussed the present political situation. Quoting sources, the channel said that Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Federal Law Minister Babar Awan are also present in the meeting.
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