|
|
|
| 05 June 2004 | Saturday | 16 Rabi-us-Saani 1425 |
Offer misunderstood, claims Shujaat
ISLAMABAD, June 4: Pakistan Muslim League president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has said that the "political arrangement" reached between coalition partners at the time of formation of Sindh government is still intact
and no decision will be made regarding change in the provincial setup without taking the Muttahida Qaumi Movement into confidence.
Talking to reporters after a meeting between representatives of the PML and the MQM at the Parliament House on Friday, Chaudhry Shujaat claimed that opposition parties had misunderstood his proposal for a 'national consensus government' in Sindh.
Clarifying his position in the presence of several MQM MNAs, Chaudhry Shujaat said that he still stood by his proposal of a national consensus government in Sindh, but that did not mean that a new government would be set up in place of the present one.
The PML president said actually he had invited People's Party Parliamentarians president Makhdoom Amin Fahim to join the present Sindh government in order to maintain peace in Karachi.
He said that the PPP misconstrued his offer. He accepted the fact that the PPP was the single largest party in Sindh and added that soon after the October 2002 elections, it was decided that the parties which had majority in the provinces would be asked to form governments.
Following the decision, Chaudhry Shujaat said, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and the PPP were asked to form governments in the NWFP and Sindh, respectively. However, he said, Amin Fahim himself informed Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali about his party's inability to form the government in Sindh.
He said it was due to the failure of the PPP that the MQM and the PML formed a coalition government in Sindh. He said it was still not known as to why the PPP did not form its government at that time.
Responding to a question, he said, if the situation in Karachi did not improve, political changes could be made in Sindh. The Pakistan Muslim League chief said that if the chief minister was to be changed then the coalition partners would be consulted before taking such a decision.
The PML chief rejected media reports about Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali's removal from office. "Do not give political colour to difference of opinion," Chaudhry Shujaat said when asked about his reported differences with Mr Jamali.
Earlier, a delegation of the MQM held a meeting with the PML representatives to discuss the Sindh situation, particularly the offer made by Chaudhry Shujaat to opposition parties to form a government of national consensus.
Housing Minister Safwanullah, Communications Minister Babar Ghouri, Dr Farooq Sattar and Kunwar Khalid Younus represented the MQM. From the PML side, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Hamid Nasir Chattha, Mushahid Hussain, Khurshid Kasuri, Ijazul Haq and Manzoor Wattoo took part in the talks.
Sources said that during the meeting, the MQM members lodged a strong protest with the PML chief and sought a clarification on his proposal. It may be mentioned that the MQM Coordination Committee, in a strong-worded statement on Thursday night, had criticized the PML president's move and warned that any change made in the provincial setup without taking the MQM into confidence would not be acceptable to the people of Sindh.
Parliamentary leader of the MQM in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar later told Dawn that the PML had contacted the party following the strong reaction of the MQM Coordination Committee.
Terming the meeting positive, Farooq Sattar said several misunderstandings had been removed in the meeting. He said the PML had given an assurance to the MQM that cooperation between the two parties would continue and political arrangements reached between the two was intact.
Responding to a question, Dr Sattar said the PML had not come up with any concrete proposal regarding change in the provincial setup. Replying to a question about possible change of the Sindh chief minister, the MQM leader said this proposal had nothing to do with the present situation in Karachi. "General discussion on the issue is going on for the past many months," he added.
|
|
|
|