In the backdrop of existing political turmoil, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) negotiating team will hold a crucial meeting with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P's) delegation in Islamabad next week for a final round of talks amid mounting pressure on the ruling party from key coalition partners to address their concerns.
Other allied parties who have expressed concerns at the lack of progress on respective written agreements include Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA). "Our negotiating team tasked by the Prime Minister is in touch with all the coalition partners and we are expecting some progress in the next few days, as they have been conveyed that the Prime Minister is willing to accept their 'appropriate' demands", a senior PTI lawmaker told Business Recorder on condition of anonymity. However, he refused to share further details.
Talking to Business Recorder, MQM-P's senior leader MNA Syed Amin-ul-Haq said that the PTI negotiating team, comprising Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Jahangir Tareen, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, and Prime Minister's Adviser on Establishment Arbab Shehzad, will hold a final round of talks with the MQM-P delegation in Islamabad next week. "We believe it will be the final round and would sum up discussions held during several rounds of talks over the last many days since MQM-P chief Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui quit the federal cabinet on January 12, 2020 in protest against unfulfilled promises", he said.
To a question whether MQM-P is satisfied with the negotiations, he said: "We believe that the PTI negotiating team is serious in taking the process forward as they want MQM-P to remain part of the ruling coalition and we desire that they [PTI] should implement the written deal in letter and spirit, as we are facing tremendous pressure from the public."
To another query as to why Prime Minister Imran Khan did not hold any meeting with MQM-P leaders during his visit to Karachi on Monday, he said that it was a decision taken mutually because it was felt that a meeting with the Prime Minister at this stage will be too early as things are in the process of being finalized.
Responding to another question regarding the possibility of coalition partners putting up a 'joint' front to mount pressure on the PM, Haq said, "You know the MQM-P and PML-Q are very close. We have been through thick and thin and have braved hard times together," an implied reference to the inclusion of the PML-Q and MQM-P in the government of General Pervez Musharraf (retd).
In a related development on Wednesday, President PML-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain held a meeting with Chief Minister Balochistan and BAP chief Jam Kamal. "We do not need offices or ministries, we want the country should be strong economically so that the clouds of inflation hovering over the country are cleared and living standard of the people improves," a press release issued after the huddle said. This development, according to sources, contains a clear message for the prime minister that the coalition partners can join hands if their demands are not met.
Interestingly, during his recent meetings in Lahore on January 26 and Karachi on January 27, the Prime Minister neither met PML-Q leaders [in Lahore] nor did he meet any MQM-P leader in Karachi.
However, in background interactions with several PTI lawmakers revealed that there is serious concern amongst PTI parliamentarians that if the reservations of the coalition partners are not properly addressed, the government would be unable to face serious challenges that are visibly mounting with each passing day in the centre, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
"The challenges to the government are not coming from mainstream opposition parties like PML-N and PPP as they have already made it clear that they are in no mood to de-seat the government, the challenges are from within which need to be taken care of," said a PTI lawmaker.
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