KARACHI, Aug 17: A second round of talks between the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and the opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement remained inconclusive on Saturday as the latter made it clear that it would not accept the proposed local government law if tabled in the provincial assembly in its present form.

While no side claimed any breakthrough in the Saturday sitting, which was held at the Chief Minister House and continued for many hours, leaders of the PPP and the MQM decided to keep the dialogue process on.

The MQM insisted on incorporation of its suggestion into the draft law before tabling it in the assembly for legislation.

“We are very much clear and made it part of record every time we met here that we want the local government system in line with Article 140-A of the Constitution,” said MQM leader Faisal Subzwari, who is also the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly.

“If the same draft is brought to the assembly for approval, we will not accept it. The proposed draft is more like a copy of General Zia’s Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 1979. We have suggested key amendments to make it more effective and strengthen democracy.”

“We want that the metropolitan government model should be implemented in mega cities under the new local government law and for that we hope the PPP would take our input into account and review their proposed draft,” said Mr Subzwari.A ministerial committee has been tasked with consulting all political parties on the draft Sindh Local Government Bill, 2013. The committee consists of ministers Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Syed Owais Muzaffar, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, Sharjeel Inam Memon and the chief minister’s adviser Murad Ali Shah.

Though multiple sessions of talks with the MQM did not lead to any breakthrough, Saturday was significant in the sense that the PPP government, which had hinted earlier that it would table the LG bill in the Sindh Assembly’s session beginning on Monday, might apparently review its decision.

“The decision has not been made whether the draft bill would be presented in the Sindh Assembly on Monday,” said Information Minister Sharjeel Memon. “The meeting with the MQM remained positive and we both exchanged our thoughts but nothing has been decided as yet. The committee will sit again and discuss all these issues before taking any final decision.”

Besides Mr Subzwari, the MQM side was represented by Dr Farooq Sattar, Kunwar Naveed Jameel, Syed Sardar Ahmed and Dr Sagheer Ahmed.

The PPP had given the draft of the proposed LG law to the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, PML-N, the Awami National Party for their inputs.

The Sindh chapter of the PML-N was very much in agreement with the PPP’s document, but it made it clear that it wanted the LG elections on a non-party basis.

Also on Saturday, a delegation of the PML-F met the PPP’s ministerial committee and gave their suggestion on the draft law.