Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement have reached an agreement over the Governorship of Sindh. According to this deal, Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad will continue as Governor Sindh while the MQM will play the role of Opposition in the Parliament, it is learnt.
The sources said that this decision had been taken during a telephonic conversation between the President and MQM Chief Altaf Hussain early Friday morning. In this regard, the sources said that Pakistan Muslim League PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain also played an important role in removing differences between the PPP and the MQM.
PML-Q President flew from Islamabad to Karachi to tell MQM that the President still wanted the MQM to rejoin government. But a final decision was made during a telephonic conservation between President Asif Ali Zaradari and Altaf Hussain. The sources also said that negotiations were going on between the two parties and the President was trying his level best to successfully persuade MQM to rejoin the PPP-led coalition.
When contacted, MQM leader Colonel Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi (Retd) told Business Recorder that MQM would not join the government. However, he said personally believed that Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad might accept governorship to meet the aspirations of the people of Sindh in the larger national interest of province and country.
He said that Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad being the Governor of Sindh for a long period of time had played a vital role in promoting the interests of the people and their province. He said that Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad never gave any political statement during his long period in office. Answering a question, he said that his party Chief Altaf Hussain would decide whether or not Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad should continue as Sindh Governor. When contacted, Presidential Spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Business Recorder that the President had not so far accepted the resignation of Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad.