October 18, 2002	Friday	Sha'aban 11, 1423

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KARACHI, Oct 17: Leaders of two major political parties — the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement — on Thursday came face-to-face for the first time since the Oct 10 elections to sound each other out about the formation of future government, especially in Sindh.

As a result of the meeting, the deadlock was “broken” as both sides recognized each other’s mandate and emphasized the need for ameliorating the lot of Sindh’s people.

According to sources, the two sides agreed to explore future cooperation as both represent the people of Sindh. The sources said it was realized that in the interest of the people of the province the two major parties, enjoying their mandate, should not follow a policy of not seeing each other and remaining daggers drawn.

In a confidence-building exercise, PPP’s provincial chief, Nisar Khuhro, drove to the MQM’s headquarters — referred to as Nine Zero — to speak to the former coalition partners about their perception of the future setup in Sindh which would depend on the outcome at the Centre.

The PPP leader was accompanied by Syed Khurshid Shah and Nawab Yusuf Talpur.

The MQM side included deputy convener of the coordination committee, Aftab Shaikh, Nasreen Jaleel, Shaikh Liaqat Hussain, Farooq Sattar, Shoaib Bokhari, Kunwar Naveed and Sardar Ahmed.

Both the sides knew their options well because they have already held probing meetings with other major players in the parliament.

According to the sources, in their 75-minute discussion neither side made any demand but they did some soul-searching regarding what had gone wrong in the past, following which they agreed to meet again in a few days, perhaps after they had discussed the details of the meeting with their leaders.

The sources said that the meeting ended on a “happy note” because the two sides agreed to meet again. They said that such meetings augured well for the people of the province whom they represented in the rural as well as the urban areas.

Top PPP leaders will fly out to Dubai on Friday to brief their party chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, about all developments since the elections, including probing meetings with other political forces.

MQM’s Aftab Shaikh said after the meeting the talks were held with an open mind during which his side spelt out its reservations.

He said that PPP and MQM enjoy people’s mandate and we respect each other’s mandate. He said that his party kept the interest of the province uppermost.

Dr Farooq Sattar said that for the interest of the people of Sindh, MQM will cooperate with everyone. If PPP or any other democratic force recognized MQM’s mandate and worked for the interest of the province, the MQM will welcome that.

After the meeting, PPP’s provincial chief, Nisar Khuhro, said the MQM also had a popular mandate and his side met the Muttahida team “because after years, a civilian government is to be set up for which we want a fresh start.”

The need of the hour is to bury the hatchet and forget the past, owing to which the province had suffered a lot, he added.

He hoped that with PPP-MQM cooperation a stable government will be established in the province.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Wednesday had already held meetings with former chief minister Liaquat Jatoi, Arbab Rahim and Ghous Bux Mehar. The MQM’s deputy convener, Aftab Shaikh, said afterwards that the picture was so far not clear.

“We have told them that the Muttahida is not very keen on joining the government, but if at all we decide that, we are contenders for the top slot because we have a sizable number,” said Aftab Shaikh.

He said the PML(Q) and NA representatives were informed that the Muttahida’s claim was based on the number of seats it had secured in the elections.

He said the talks remained inconclusive and added that much would depend on what happened at the Centre.

He said that the “MQM cannot be ignored as no government can be formed without us. Our necessary consensus is vital.” He nevertheless said the demand for the top slot was negotiable.