THE government’s efforts to convince the MQM to return to parliament hit a snag on Thursday as the Muttahida broke off parleys in an abrupt fashion. The MQM — which resigned from parliament last month to protest what it considers is the victimisation of its leaders and workers under the cover of the Rangers-led Karachi operation — left the talks as the party felt the prime minister was too “helpless” to address its concerns. The move has surprised the PML-N as well as Maulana Fazlur Rehman, whom the ruling party mandated to negotiate with the MQM.

In the MQM’s case, it is not clear what the party seeks to achieve by quitting parliament and closing the avenues of dialogue. For one thing, it is unfair for the party to accuse the PML-N of non-seriousness where acceptance of its demands is concerned. After all, if the ruling party wished it could have accepted the Muttahida lawmakers’ resignations in August.The fact that the federal government has made efforts to engage the MQM appears to show the PML-N’s sincerity. For its part, the government should speed up formation of the proposed committee to look into the MQM’s genuine grievances about the Karachi operation. The Muttahida, on the other hand, should shed its rigid posture and concentrate on the upcoming LG polls in Sindh. For while the party scrambles to generate coherent responses to the many crises that confront it, its political opponents are taking advantage of the situation and planning to make electoral gains. For example, at a recent meeting in Hyderabad organised by the Jamaat-i-Islami, a number of parties decided to form an anti-MQM electoral alliance to contest LG polls in the Sindh city. Should the Muttahida cede ground by leaving electoral space open, it will have few to blame but itself. To prove it has severed all links with militant elements and is solely concerned with fighting its battles at the ballot box, the MQM needs to formulate a policy for the LG polls.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2015

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