KARACHI, Nov 3: With the first session of the newly-elected National Assembly having been summoned for Friday next, the major groups in the Sindh Assembly have intensified their efforts to win over minor ones and fulfil their desire to lead the provincial coalition.

The efforts have become more hectic and reached climax following reports of abortive negotiations aimed at narrowing down differences between Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian and Muttahida Qaumi Movement. The two sides have reportedly failed to bury their tense past and reach an understanding on working together as coalition partners.

Realizing the importance of the MQM’s support in the NA, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, leading the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal team, and Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the official nominee of the PML-Q for the much-sought-after slot of premiership, rushed to the metropolis and held talks with the MQM leaders and sought their support both at the NA and the Sindh Assembly.

With the PPP representing much of rural and the MQM much of urban masses in Sindh, it is generally thought that the two parties may become natural allies in the given situation. However, media reports suggest that that certain quarters, obviously more powerful in the society, are doing their utmost to prevent this marriage from being solemnized.

In order to keep the two sides still apart, these quarters have been using both the parties’ short-sighted elements, equipped with the Pandora’s box of the blunders and mistakes committed during their flopped coalition partnership. These elements’ sparking and fuelling of imaginary doubts and forgotten hostilities are aimed at persuading the negotiators to look the other way round before making a decision.

Outside the negotiation and bargaining centres, the time for a decisive action is fast approaching with the give and take entering a crucial phase as the reserved seats for women and minorities have already been allocated on the basis of each party’s strength in the provincial assembly. Completion of the process has left only a few days for the Governor to summon the assembly session — most probably by Nov 15.

With the addition of 29 women and nine minority seats, the House is now comprised of 168 members. However, results of two constituencies are to be announced later. They are PS-118, where recounting is under way and the result may be notified by Monday, and PS-83 Sanghar, where repolling in one of the polling stations was completed on Saturday.

The current party position in the assembly is: Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian 67, Muttahida Qaumi Movement 40, Pakistan Muslim League-Q 18, National Alliance 16, Pakistan Muslim League-F 12, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal 10, independents 02 and Mohajir Qaumi Movement 01.

The PML-Q, striving hard to lead the coalition government in the Centre as well as in Sindh and Balochistan, has held two meetings at Azizabad to woo the MQM in order to find a room for itself in Sindh coalition. It has reportedly gone to the extent to offering the slot of Chief Minister to the MQM if the latter agrees to extend its support both at the Centre and the provincial coalition. The PML-Q had very recently sent the former Sindh chief minister, Liaquat Ali Jatoi, to Azizabad to strike a deal with the MQM on a PML-Q-led government in Sindh. The MQM’s response to the proposal, however, was not made public.

Following its failure on Saturday in convincing the National Alliance to support Maulana Fazlur Rehman as Prime Minister, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal established its first contact with the MQM leadership on Sunday. The MMA leader, Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, met the MQM leaders at “Nine Zero” headquarters. No significant outcome emerged out of the negotiations.

In his meeting with the National Alliance chief, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, the Hafiz got a straightforward reply, though to his disappointment. Mr Jatoi made it clear to him without mincing words that he and his alliance was committed to the Grand National Alliance and that he will comply with any decision taken by the GNA despite the excesses committed by his colleagues in the GNA.