August 27, 2008	Wednesday	Sha'aban 24, 1429

KARACHI, Aug 26: A delegation of the Pakistan People’s Party, led by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, visited the headquarters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Tuesday to express gratitude to the MQM leadership for supporting Asif Ali Zardari as the country’s next president.

A large number of MQM workers, including women, gathered at the party’s headquarters Nine-Zero and welcomed the PPP delegation, including senior minister Pir Mazharul Haq, Agha Siraj Durrani and Ayaz Soomro.

The MQM’s Babar Ghauri, Shoaib Bukhari, Sardar Ahmed, Waseem Aftab and others received the PPP delegation.

The CM also spoke to MQM chief Altaf Hussain over the phone. He thanked Mr Hussain for his support to the PPP co-chairman for the election of president.

Mr Hussain assured the Sindh CM that his party would continue to support the PPP even during hard times and would fight all conspiracies.

Later, talking to newsmen, Mr Shah also thanked the MQM leadership for supporting a resolution passed unanimously in the Sindh Assembly regarding Mr Zardari’s candidacy for president.

He regretted that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif left the coalition government, but he maintained that despite this Mr Zardari would succeed in the presidential election because of support of the MQM and other parties.

Answering a question, he said there was no plan to scrap the local government system. He said that after consultation with Mr Zardari and Mr Hussain, the MQM would be given ministries at the centre.

He said that not only the PPP, the people of Sindh also appreciated the MQM for supporting Mr Zardari.

MQM leader Babar Ghauri said that his party had offered unconditional support to the PPP and Mr Zardari was the presidential candidate of the MQM. “The PPP is a big political party and our alliance will go a long way,” he added.