KARACHI, Jan 24: A powerful team is being rushed from Islamabad to Karachi to end the standoff between partners in the Sindh coalition government, it is reliably learnt.

Circles close to the Chief Minister’s House told Dawn that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Q) appeared to be disturbed at reports of increasing mistrust among its allies in Sindh, as the fragile 20-day old Mahar government, instead of consolidating itself, had opened a front within the coalition partners without realizing the importance of the coming Senate elections.

Advising leaders of the National Alliance not to lose patience, the “power broker” at Islamabad reportedly asked them to wait for their arrival before taking any decision. The PML (Q) leadership, according to a report, assured NA leaders of compliance with the accord in letter and in spirit reached at the time of formation of the Mahar government, including re-notification of the advisory office of Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh, whose denotification became the immediate cause of flare-up between coalition partners.

A meeting of the NA, Sindh, that was summoned on Friday to review the situation was put off due to pre-occupations of its three important leaders, Arbab Rahim, Murtaza Jatoi and Irfanullah Khan Marwat, all of whom were out of town.

A spokesman for the NA said its parliamentary party group would be meeting on Sunday to review the situation and decide whether to attend the meeting of the ruling parliamentary party or keep distance until a final decision to part ways with the ruling coalition was taken by the competent forum of the National Alliance.

Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh, a central leader of the NA and the president of the Sindh Democratic Alliance, has said the NA has no intentions to destablize the government despite differences which can be removed by talks.

Speaking to office-bearers of the party at the SDA secretariat, he said they believed in democratic working and always had taken stand on principle. Even now they were in touch with the government to sort out points of discord with the chief minister, he said and assured that the SDA would honour its commitment of serving the people and put the province on the road to prosperity.

In the Sindh Assembly, the PML (Q) has only 18 members, and it depends mainly on the support of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement which has 41 members in the 168-members house. Other partners in the coalition government have the following strength: the National Alliance 16, PML (F) 13, PPP Patriots 5, MMA Patriots 2 and two independents, leaving 62 MPAs of the PPP, 8 of the MMA and one of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement in the opposition. The combined strength of the coalition partners in the assembly is 98. If the NA decides to withdraw support, the Mahar government is unlikely to survive.

Serious differences have developed between the coalition partners over distribution of portfolios.

However, what has added to the existing tense relations between coalition partners is being attributed to the apprehension on the part of the PML (Q) leadership in Sindh about the presence of Imtiaz Shaikh, the chief of the Sindh Democratic Alliance, in the cabinet. According to insiders, the chief minister is being advised by “so-called well-wishers to be on guard” against Imtiaz Shaikh who could emerge as a challenger to his office if inducted into the cabinet.

This further alienated the chief minister from Imtiaz Shaikh and the fact that the notification on his appointment as an adviser was withdrawn lends credence to it.