KARACHI: With its ‘internal cleansing exercise’ continuing and some important announcements likely to be made on Sunday, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) clarified on Saturday that it had yet to decide whether or not to join the new government.

“The MQM has not taken any decision about joining the new government or sitting on the opposition benches,” said a statement issued by the party.

“All options in this regard are open and a decision will be taken in the light of the majority opinion of workers and public.”

However, it was not clear whether the statement referred to a coalition government at the centre, with the PML-N, or in Sindh, with the PPP.

On Friday, the MQM issued a statement of party chief Altaf Hussain in which he was reported to have told the party’s ad hoc coordination committee that the party’s performance would continue to suffer if it continued to be part of coalition governments.

On Saturday, the MQM’s information department clarified that Mr Hussain had given an analysis on the quest for power and the changes in human behaviour in the light of the history of the party.

It said the “press release issued by the information department carried one point of the arguments of Mr Hussain in an ambiguous manner quoting it out of context which gave rise to the impression that the MQM had taken a final decision on the issue of joining or not joining the coming government”.

It said that Mr Hussain’s address had nothing to do with the current and future policy of the MQM. “Mr Hussain was only analysing the underlying causes that brought a change in the outlook of some office-bearers and workers since the inception of APMSO in 1978.”