KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has welcomed the Pakistan People’s Party decision to not table the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) bill in parliament and sought a political solution to all issues, saying that the country cannot afford instability.

Speaking at a news conference at the party’s headquarters on Tuesday, MQM parliamentary leader in the national assembly Dr Farooq Sattar said that his party had advised the government not to table the NRO bill in parliament.

He said President Asif Ali Zardari was also informed that MQM parliamentarians would vote against the NRO.

Taking credit for the government retreat on the controversial bill, Dr Sattar termed the decision a result of political developments and a wise step to strengthen democracy and parliament.

However, he said the MQM’s opposition to the NRO would not affect its relationship with its major coalition partner, the PPP.

‘We have cordial relations with the PPP and even the prime minister expressed his gratitude over our stance [on the NRO].’

Dr Sattar, who is also a federal minister in the PPP-led coalition government, was of the view that it was the right of every political party to take a principled stand on any issue.

‘But if political comments and analysis will suggest that the real target is not the NRO but President Zardari and the whole system then we had better find a political solution to save the country from instability.’

‘We faced all cases against us,’ he said, adding that other political parties should not avoid court trials.

Replying to another query, he said the MQM never had bad relations with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and it believed that political parties should remain engaged in a dialogue.

Dr Sattar said that the members of the MQM coordination committee in Pakistan and London, party’s parliamentarians, as well as constitutional and legal experts, had discussed various aspects of the NRO before arriving on a decision.

The coordination committee members, Anis Kaimkhani, Dr Sagheer Ahmed, Dr Raza Haroon, Waseem Aftab and Kanwer Khalid Younis were also present at the press conference.

MQM chief Altaf Hussain had asked President Zardari to give a ‘sacrifice’ and not to table the NRO in parliament, and thus save democracy.

A presidential spokesman announced late on Monday night that the government would not table the controversial law in parliament.