ISLAMABAD: In another round of talks between the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and its disgruntled ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Friday, the former reassured the latter of fulfilment of its demands, especially the development of Karachi and Hyderabad.

The meeting, which took place in the federal capital, was attended by Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak and Jehangir Tareen from the government side, while the MQM team comprised its convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, senior deputy convener Amir Khan and deputy convener Kanwar Naveed.

“The meeting between PTI and MQM leaders was held in a cordial atmosphere,” said MQM leader Syed Aminul Haq when contacted by Dawn.

There was no official word from the government about the meeting. However, it was reported by private TV channels that disgruntled MQM leader Siddiqui, who had recently parted ways with the federal cabinet [being a minister for information technology], had now agreed to rejoin the cabinet after he was assured by the defence minister that all demands of the MQM would be met soon.

A source told Dawn that the government team agreed to meet all demands of the MQM, including development activities in the country’s commercial hub Karachi and Hyderabad. The government team also agreed to honour a memorandum of understanding recently signed between it and the MQM that requires merit-based appointments in government departments and admissions to educational institutions.

The source said that although the government had agreed to meet all MQM demands, it was yet to be decided whether Khalid Maqbool will rejoin the cabinet or not.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2020