Pakistan People's Party is wooing Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) again to join the Sindh government with the offer of some key ministries to enable them to take a joint stand against the ongoing operation in Karachi. A senior member of the PPP told Business Recorder on Saturday that the PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has asked Senator Rehman Malik to talk to MQM chief Altaf Hussain about rejoining of the Sindh government.
"Both the parties are under pressure due to the ongoing Rangers operation in Karachi and Asif Zardari feels that if the MQM joins the Sindh government, it will help restrict the Rangers operation against terrorists and militants," he said.
The MQM quit the Sindh and Azad Kashmir governments in October last year following a fiery speech by the PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari against the MQM chief Altaf Hussain. The source said that the PPP has invited the MQM numerous times - both secretly and publicly - to rejoin the Sindh government but resistance from some PPP stalwarts and differences over the ministries always stalled the process.
A day after the former President Asif Zardari made the controversial speech he spoke to Altaf Hussain on telephone and both the leaders reportedly agreed to stay united in these testing times. The source, however, claims that the MQM has conditionally agreed to join the Sindh government if the PPP offers some key ministries, including local government and interior.
Election Commission of Pakistan is all set to hold local government elections in Sindh in September this year following a directive from the Supreme Court. The MQM is therefore more interested in getting the portfolio of local government ministry.
He said that it would be difficult for the PPP to meet all demands of the MQM as there are some senior members within the PPP who continue to oppose the inclusion of the MQM in the cabinet. "Asif Zardari and Altaf Hussain are getting close to each other as both feel that their parties would be crushed in the ongoing operation if they fail to unite and come up with a united stance on the operation," he said.The MQM has been accusing law enforcement agencies of picking up its party workers without getting prior arrest warrants from the courts and torturing them to confess different crimes. The PPP began making similar claims after rangers picked up some bureaucrats and notables reportedly with close links to the former president. "PPP top leadership feels the Rangers have been overstepping their authority as it is not authorised to raid government offices and confiscate official records," he said.
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