KARACHI, Oct 22: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain on Sunday said that MQM was in favour of national unity and it was always open to dialogue with other political parties.

Addressing media personnel at an Iftar party, Mr Hussain said his party would welcome dialogue with the Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Answering a question, he said it was up to the MQM coordination committee to advise him if and when he should return to Pakistan.

Supporting the present regime and underlining the fact that it would be completing its stipulated five-year term, he said it was part of the democratic process which always strengthened democracy everywhere.

About the sale of Bundaal and Buddo islands, the MQM leader said the project would create jobs. He disagreed with a notion that the development of these islands would create a division between rural and urban Sindh. MQM, he stressed, was against the division of Sindh and would stand against any such attempt.

On street crimes, he said MQM would constitute street committees at the UC and town levels to help law-enforcement agencies curb what he called ‘this curse’.

He pointed out that PML-Q’s opposition towards the MQM’s entry in Punjab was natural since it was their stronghold. He said the party would face similar opposition in the NWFP by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and in Balochistan by the BNP.

However, he said, the party had a cordial relationship with President Musharraf, since both listened to each other’s point of view.

Mr Hussain deplored that the policymakers in Punjab had exploited the resources of other provinces. He said majority of the people were oppressed who did not support these policies and it was the duty of the MQM to create awareness among them.

He criticised the foreign policy formulated by ‘ad hoc rulers’ and said Pakistan’s relations with its immediate neighbours were not that good. He said dialogue with India was still uncertain because of the ‘shaky’ policy.

Pakistan’s ties with Afghanistan and Iran, he added, were also not that well and those with the West, particularly the United States and Europe, were on a tightrope.

Earlier, MQM leader Farooq Sattar said the party had set up offices in 30 districts of Punjab, out of 39.