THE political leadership of the MQM has to decide on its own whether or not it wishes to remain a part of the political set-up. It cannot toss this ball into the court of the federal government. Using resignations as a bargaining tool to extract some assurances from the government is not without risk and could land the MQM leaders in an absurd situation, at the same time weakening their grip on the meagre quantum of power they still retain. It may be true that the party’s political leadership is in a very difficult situation at the moment. It is caught between the demands of the more militant elements within the MQM on the one hand and the Rangers’ operation, which has targeted many of the party’s political activists, on the other. Given this environment, wisdom and magnanimity are necessary when dealing with the political leadership of the party because even small gestures have considerable significance — without compromising the aims or execution of the operation. The prime minister could have asked after the health of Rashid Godil, for instance, and at least given some expression of support for tracking down those who sought to murder him while wishing the injured MNA a speedy recovery.

Such a gesture would have limited impact, however, in placating the political leadership of the MQM. The party in Karachi has some decisions to make, and they must be made by its leadership alone. Playing a drawn-out game with the resignations is likely to make it look weak and indecisive, while the act of resigning will damage the party’s political standing even more. For its part, the government should sharpen its actions while blunting its rhetoric. It is one thing for the interior minister to seek to advance a legal reference with the UK government against the MQM chief Altaf Hussain. But it is quite another to issue public statements following every meeting with the UK high commissioner stating the facts that came under discussion. What is the purpose of this, other than to taunt the party’s political leadership? If a legal reference is indeed going to be handed over to the UK government, then it is better to simply advance the matter without rubbing it in the face of the MQM constantly. And for its part, the MQM leadership needs to avoid getting stuck in a manoeuvre that it cannot follow through on without damaging itself even more.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2015

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