LONDON: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement could make a clean break from the ruling coalition and sit on the opposition benches or it could take the less drastic route of withdrawing its ministers from the federal cabinet or from both the federal and provincial cabinets, but continuing to sit on the treasury benches.
The MQM Rabita Committee, after its three-day marathon meetings which ended here on Tuesday, has proposed these three options which would now be presented to the MQM workers throughout Pakistan to elicit their opinion.
According to a spokesman for the MQM International Secretariat, the committee would take a final decision in the light of views expressed by party workers which then would be presented to Altaf Hussain for approval.
The spokesman said the Rabita Committee meeting which was attended by its members both from Pakistan and the UK and chaired by Dr Imran Farooq reviewed the developments since 2002 elections in the context of MQM-government relations focusing especially on the fate of the promises the ‘government’ had made to the MQM in return for joining the ruling coalition, both at the federal and provincial levels.
The committee also reviewed the May 12 Karachi carnage in the light of available evidence and proof.
According to the spokesman, the working relationship between the MQM and the government had remained largely unsatisfactory as he alleged most of the major decisions were taken by the government without taking the MQM into confidence.
The Muttahida also felt disillusioned with the way its supporters were ignored in the matter of employment, he added.
The MQM appears clearly piqued at the way it has been abandoned by its coalition partners at the centre and in Sindh on the issue of May 12 Karachi killings as none of these parties had defended its role on the day while some of the members of these parties even went to the extent of criticising the Muttahida for its alleged involvement in the bloodbath.
However, by proposing three options and then giving the MQM workers the right to choose one of these after due diligence before it is adopted by the Rabita Committee and approved by Altaf Hussain, the MQM leadership has left a large room for its coalition partners and particularly the president to take appropriate steps to redress the party’s serious grievances against the government.
