August 12, 2008	Tuesday	Sha'aban 9, 1429

KARACHI, Aug 11: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has decided that its lawmakers in the Sindh Assembly will abstain from the voting process on a resolution to be tabled by the Pakistan People’s Party MPAs asking President Pervez Musharraf to get a confidence vote or face impeachment.

Party sources told Dawn that the MQM was not in a mood to oppose or support the resolution and it would prefer to abstain from the voting process in view of its coalition with the PPP-led Sindh government.

However, the sources made it clear that the MQM strategy in the National Assembly and Senate would not be affected by its current policy of abstaining from the Sindh Assembly resolution.

They said a strategy in this regard had already been finalised by the MQM MPAs.

“The PPP enjoys a majority in the house and if we abstain from the voting process, it can pass any resolution with a majority vote. However, in the presence of opposition members, it is not possible for the PPP to pass the resolution unanimously,” said a source.

The sources said the top leadership of the PPP was aware of the MQM’s stance and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, while presiding over a meeting of the Sindh cabinet, had made it clear that whenever he decided to impeach President Musharraf, he would not expect support from what he called “our MQM friends’”.

“Mr Zardari told the Sindh cabinet that he knew the MQM had supported Gen Musharraf for about seven years and this was not a right way to test our friends,” said an MQM minister who was also present at the meeting.

The sources said that Mr Zardari had sent his emissaries to London to persuade MQM chief Altaf Hussain to stay neutral during the impeachment process of President Musharraf. However, Mr Hussain reportedly did not make any promise in this regard.