LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari and Governor Sindh Dr. Ishratul Ibad have agreed on taking steps to defuse tensions between Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported.
In a meeting held at Bilawal House in Lahore on Saturday, both the leaders also discussed issues relating to forming a joint strategy regarding the upcoming general elections.
Earlier, MQM chief Altaf Hussain told Interior Minister Rehman Malik in a meeting in London on Saturday that his party old relations with the PPP would continue in the larger interest of the country, particularly for promoting peace and stability in Sindh province.
It was decided in the meeting that both the parties would contest general elections individually but there could be a possibility for adjustment on certain seats.
The MQM, on Feb 16, parted ways with the PPP-led coalition federal and provincial governments in protest against what it described as the ‘negative attitude’ of the People’s Party. Soon afterwards, MQM ministers resigned from their portfolios following which the PPP restored in Sindh the 1979 local government system in – a matter of contention between the two parties.
However, earlier this week, MQM chief Altaf Hussain advised Ishratul Ibad to withdraw his resignation and resume his responsibilities as governor Sindh “for the cause of peace and stability in the country, especially Sindh.”
DND
