The cracks within the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led federal government ruling coalition became visible on Sunday when the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) distanced itself from the ongoing saga.
In a presser, MQM-P declared it an “issue of two parties within the PDM,” indicating a lack of unity within the coalition.
Although MQM-P convener Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui attended the ruling coalition parties’ meeting on Saturday, he left early to attend a press event at the Karachi Press Club. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was attended via video link by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz, and other representatives of the ruling coalition parties.
A statement issued by PML-N after the meeting revealed distrust in the three-member bench of the Supreme Court, comprising CJP Bandial, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar. The coalition demanded that the three-member bench’s proceedings be wrapped up regarding the delay in the Punjab Assembly elections and acceptance of the four-member majority decision in the suo motu case.
When asked about MQM-P’s support for the ruling coalition’s stance against the three-member SC bench, a spokesperson for MQM-P stated that the party neither supported nor opposed the issue, as they considered it an issue of two parties within the PDM. The party spokesperson also clarified that PDM had not contacted MQM-P.
MQM-P’s latest stance has fueled speculations that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan sent PTI’s vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi to Karachi to re-establish contacts with MQM-P. However, while former Punjab chief minister and PTI president Parvez Elahi reportedly have contacted certain MQM-P leaders, senior MQM-P leadership has remained tight-lipped about any such development.
The MQM-P emphasized that it was part of the central ruling coalition but was not a component party of the PDM. One anonymous MQM-P leader explained that the party did not want confrontation with state institutions, especially the apex court, and expressed concerns about PML-N and PPP using MQM-P for their interests without implementing the “charter of rights” signed with MQM last year.
In a late-night development, an MQM-P spokesperson confirmed that PTI leadership had contacted and expressed interest in meeting with party leaders. However, MQM-P informed PTI that they would first discuss the issue with their coordination committee and then respond.
.){kind=link}