April 05, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 27, 1429

KARACHI, April 4: Since the Muttahida Qaumi Movement has offered its unconditional support to the Pakistan People’s Party, the PPP will decide what to give it in return.

This was stated by Pir Mazharul Haq, the PPP parliamentary party’s designated leader in the Sindh Assembly at a press conference held at a local hotel on Friday night. He spoke to the media after a meeting of the parliamentary party hosted by MPA-elect Mukesh Chawla.

“The MQM has made its stand of unconditional support clear. Our talks will continue. The leadership of the respective parties will decide what further course to take. The MQM has made no demands and when we went to Nine-Zero (on Wednesday), Altaf Hussain referred to Qaim Ali Shah as the chief minister of Sindh,” said the Pir, adding that this was significant as Mr Shah has not been elected leader of the house yet.

“This is better for the province. We want to create an atmosphere of brotherhood,” he said, when questioned about the process of government formation between the former rivals after PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s recent visit to the MQM headquarters.

Answering a question, Pir Mazhar said he did not support the Sindhi nationalist parties’ stance, specifically their reservations about the PPP-MQM dialogue, adding that the PPP was “working for the benefit of the whole nation.”

When asked if the PPP was willing to include other parties in the Sindh Assembly such as the NPP and PML-F in its reconciliation efforts, he said the party wanted to take everyone along but could not force anyone.

In reply to a question regarding an alleged statement by Benazir Bhutto in which she supposedly said the MQM had two wings – an armed wing and a political wing – Pir Mazhar said he was not dealing with any wings but with the MQM.

He said no decision has been made about which candidate to field for deputy speaker and it would be decided in the morning.

Pir Mazhar said the PPP MPAs-elect had passed a unanimous resolution which stated that whatever decision Mr Zardari takes regarding the formation of the Sindh government would be accepted by them.

He added that the MPAs discussed the issues of their districts in the meeting.