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

KARACHI, April 4: An eight-member committee comprising leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement met here on Friday night to work out a power-sharing formula for Sindh.

The MQM was represented by Dr Farooq Sattar, Babar Ghauri, Adil Siddiqui and Syed Sardar Ahmed, while chief minister-designate Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Pir Mazharul Haq, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and N.D. Khan represented the PPP.

Sources told Dawn that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and MQM chief Altaf Hussain had decided that their parties would work together in the province but modalities were being sorted out.

They said the PPP was ready to work with Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, a nominee of the MQM, and the only agenda of the meeting was to decide the number of ministers and their portfolios.

The MQM wanted the post of deputy speaker of the provincial assembly and 40 per cent share in the cabinet, they said.

The sources said the MQM was interested in the departments of planning and development or finance, local government, health, education, labour, transport, industries, environment and information technology.

According to the sources, Mr Zardari had assured Mr Hussain that he would persuade former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to accept the MQM as a coalition partner in the federal government.