President Asif Ali Zardari. - File Photo

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari appears to have succeeded in pacifying the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Thursday after assuring his party's coalition partner that disciplinary action would be taken against Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon for accompanying former provincial home minister Zulfikar Mirza on his visit to London.

The assurance was given by the president during a meeting with an MQM delegation led by Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar and comprising Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Khan Ghauri and MNA Haider Abbas Rizvi. Federal ministers Syed Khurshid Shah and Naveed Qamar and Farhatullah Babar attended the meeting.

The MQM delegation, which had met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday, lodged a strong protest against continuing outbursts of Zulfikar Mirza against the MQM and the Sindh minister accompanying him to London.“The MQM wanted to know if Sharjeel Memon accompanied Zulfikar Mirza in line with a party decision,” the spokesman said.

President Zardari said the partnership between the PPP and MQM would continue for the sake of welfare of the people of Sindh, the country and the democratic process.

Mr Babar said Dr Farooq Sattar conveyed to the president MQM's concerns over statements and actions of some elements associated with the PPP.

The president said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah had already spelled out the party's policy at a press conference.

Meanwhile, Dr Mirza told some TV channels from London that he had handed over to Scotland Yard officials some important documents which, he said, would help them investigate the murder of MQM leader Imran Farooq, who was stabbed to death in London last year.

Dr Mirza claimed that two men arrested in Karachi in connection with the murder were still in police custody, contradicting a claim to the contrary made by Interior Minister Rehman Malik. He said that he had provided evidences to the Scotland Yard about the arrested men.

Answering a question about action which might be taken against Sharjeel Memon, he said travelling with him was not a sin. “If this was a violation of party discipline then first action should be taken against National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza as I live with her in the same house.”

MQM leader Babar Ghauri told reporters that President Zardari had assured them that action would be taken against Sharjeel Memon.

He said the president had also spoken to MQM chief Altaf Hussain and assured him that his party's grievances would be addressed.

Commenting on Dr Mirza's meeting with officials of the Scotland Yard, Mr Ghauri said: “It does not matter how many documents the former provincial home minister provides to the investigators.”

After the assurance given by the president, the MQM cancelled a scheduled news conference and a general workers' meeting in Karachi.