Will it create problems for PPP government in Sindh? Past experience of such joint venture was also not successful.
www.dawn.com/2008/02/25/top2.htm
PPP legislators against coalition with Muttahida
By Amir Wasim
ISLAMABAD, Feb 24: Newly-elected MPAs of the Pakistan People’s Party in Sindh want the party to form government in the province without the support of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
Sources told Dawn that a number of newly-elected legislators opposed of the PPP entering into a dialogue with the MQM because of what they called “excesses” it committed against PPP workers during its five-year rule in the province.
The legislators were speaking at the first parliamentary party meeting at the Zardari House here on Sunday. It was presided over by Asif Ali Zardari.
The participants discussed the political situation in the province and PPP’s options of cooperating with other political forces in the post-election scenario.
On Feb 19, Mr Zardari had said that some party members had reservations over the issue of cooperation with the MQM. He, however, said that he personally wanted to take the MQM along.
The sources said that in Sunday’s meeting, most of the participants called for forming the provincial government without the support of the MQM because the PPP was in a position to form government on its own. Some of the members were of the opinion that the Muttahida could create problems if it was kept out of power. However, they said that if the PPP desired to take the MQM along it should be asked to join the PPP government unconditionally without seeking ministries or other posts.
A PPP office-bearer said that the track of the MQM showed that it would create problems even if it was made a part of the Sindh government.
According to the sources, Mr Zardari was personally interested in forming the Sindh government with MQM’s cooperation. He said the party had decided to take along all political forces and asked the elected members to suggest how best to reconcile this desire with the ground reality that the party was in a position to form a government on its own.
He said the meeting with Sindh MPAs was part of the party’s drive to have broad-based consultations within the party for formulating a future course of action.
The Sindh province, the PPP co-chairperson said, had a unique position among the federating units and called for prudent political decisions to address various issues confronting it. He said the party had enough strength to form a government in Sindh and he was eager to listen to the elected members’ views on how to take along all political forces in the country.
The participants left the decision about the formation of government to the leadership.
The meeting was attended by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Yousuf Raza Gillani, Jehangir Bader, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Nisar Khuhro, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Nafees Siddiqi, Raza Rabbani, Sherry Rehman, Syed Khursheed Shah, Safdar Abbasi, Yousuf Talpur, Azra Fazal, Dr Fehmida Mirza and Begum Ashraf Abbasi.
Earlier, members of the Balochistan parliamentary party met at the Zardari House to discuss options available to the party in the province.
PPP sources told Dawn that legislators from Sindh and Balochistan also discussed the names of possible parliamentary leaders in their respective assemblies. They said the names of Agha Siraj Durrani, PPP Sindh president Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Makhdoom Jameeluzzaman and former opposition leader in Sindh assembly Nisar Khuhro were under consideration.
However, they said that if Makhdoom Amin Fahim had been selected as the party’s candidate for the premiership, his son Makhdoom Jameeluzzaman would not be nominated as the parliamentary leader in the Sindh assembly.
The sources said that the party leadership believed that Nisar Khuhro and former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah would be weak candidates keeping in view strong challenges the party could face after coming into power.
They said Agha Siraj Durrani was a strong candidate. He is son-in-law of PML-F chief Pir Pagara and had served as provincial education minister in the party’s previous two governments.
The sources said the name of Pir Mazharul Haq was being seriously considered for speaker of the Sindh assembly.
For the Balochistan assembly, the sources said, there appeared to be a consensus on the name of Aslam Raisani, son of former Balochistan governor Ghous Raeesani. However, as the party was not in majority in the province, it could give the chief ministership to an independent legislator or to a nominee of a coalition party, the added.
Meanwhile, PPP spokesperson Farhatullah Babar denied that a nominee for the post of provincial chief minister was finalised during the Sindh parliamentary party meeting. He said the meeting did not discuss the matter of parliamentary leader in the National Assembly or in any of the provincial assemblies.
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