ISLAMABAD, July 31: The government and the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) may not be willing to confirm in words the reported last week meeting between President Gen Pervez Musharraf and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Abu Dhabi but the sudden warmth shown by their legislators in National Assembly on Tuesday seemed to say it all.

Though very few PPP MNAs were present in the house as a large number of the party leaders are still in London in connection with a series of party meetings, but they did not stage a walkout with other opposition parties against the ruling coalition Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for allegedly killing political activists in Karachi on May 12 during the visit of the chief justice to the city.

It was strange that the PPP members, who had been accusing the MQM of killing its workers in Karachi during the May 12 violence, did not join their other opposition colleagues when they staged the walkout on the call of MMA leader Liaqat Baloch. Not only this, PPP MNA from Karachi Nabeel Gabol went to the treasury benches and remained busy in talks with MQM parliamentary leader Dr Farooq Sattar for quite some time. Some of the PPP leaders, who had been considered to be the hardliners against the Musharraf regime, have not been attending the National Assembly session for the last two days presumably to avoid direct contact with the reporters as, according to sources, they are also perturbed over the reports of Musharraf-Benazir meeting.

Some of the PPP leaders, who were caught by the reporters in the lobbies of the Parliament House, expressed their total ignorance about the Abu Dhabi meeting. They said that their senior leadership, if it was aware of the development, had so far not taken them into confidence on the issue.

Minister of State for Health Shahnaz Shaikh, who had become minister in the Musharraf regime after defecting the PPP, was also seen roaming on opposition benches seemingly in an effort to renew her contacts with her old party colleagues. Ms Shaikh, who had become the MNA on the recommendation of Ms Bhutto on a reserved woman seat, remained engaged in talks with some PPP leaders, including former minister Nawab Yusuf Talpur.

When contacted, Mr Gabol said the MQM leader had been stressing the need for more cooperation and good relations between the two parties, which were considered to be secular and moderate parties of the country.

Mr Gabol said that he reminded Dr Sattar the time when the PPP leaders had gone to the MQM’s headquarters “Nine Zero” seeking the party’s support in the formation of the government in Sindh soon after the 2002 elections. He said that his meeting with Dr Sattar should not be termed an official meeting and it was just an exchange of views and ideas on the current situation in the country.

Mr Gabol said that he could not hold talks officially with any political party until and unless he was authorised by the party leadership.

Talking to Dawn, MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar said that his party had been informally in contact with the PPP for the past many years but now there was a need to increase contacts.