— Shah Mahmood Qureshi will visit MQM-P’s headquarter on Tuesday for formal negotiations.
ISLAMABAD: The joint move launched by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Mutahidda Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) to bring in a new leader of the opposition, is largely aimed at arm-twisting Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to implementing his announced Rs 25 billion.
Syed Khurshid Shah is the leader of the opposition for the past four years whose party Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), is the largest opposition party with strength of 47 members in the National Assembly. PTI is the second biggest outfit of the opposition with 32 lawmakers. MQM-P is third largest party with 24 members.
The move is crucial in nature as the role of opposition leader will become very important in the near future. Under the Constitution, the prime minister has to consult leader of the opposition for the appointment of caretaker prime minister and his team, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, the appointment of next chief election commissioner and its members, etc.
In the past, there has been an impression that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and the PPP leadership has been in cahoots in crucial appointments and Khursheed Shah has been blamed by his senior party colleagues for being a PML-N man in the PPP.
If both PTI and MQM form a new group in opposition, their number can swell to 56 which is enough to outnumber PPP. This group may swell further if smaller groups like Jamaat-e-Islami, Awami Muslim League and some independents like Jamshed Dasti join the pack.
Two members of the ANP may still side with the PPP.
Background interactions with PTI and MQM leaders have revealed that the PTI leadership has been smartly trapped by the MQM leadership as its chairman Imran Khan has given a green signal to his deputy Shah Mahmood Qureshi to commence formal negotiations with the MQM at its Karachi office.
Hence a three-member party delegation led by Shah Mahmood Qureshi will visit MQM-P’s headquarter in Karachi on Tuesday for formal negotiations.
A well-placed source in MQM told Pakistan Today that the party leadership believes it can take advantage of the situation and may take main stage if the negotiations between the two parties materialise.
“PTI has specially included Imran Ismail in the delegation who has a good equation with MQM leader Wasim Akhtar. PTI believes talks may reach final conclusion and a breakthrough could be made,” the source added.
However, the source said that MQM would take its decisions after a thorough discussion.
“It seems as if the pressure tactic is working as Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has contacted Dr Farooq Sattar and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar to discuss development projects in Karachi and Hyderabad. However, we are not in a mood to buy this venture. However, MQM will see if the prime minister consults us again for development funds for Karachi, withdrawal of cases against the party leaders and the end of victimisation of the party leaders,” the source added.
When contacted, MQM lawmaker Raza Ali Abidi confirmed a breakthrough in contacts between the PPP and MQM. He said that a three-member PTI delegation would be visiting MQM office in Karachi on Tuesday,” he added.
Asked whether Imran Ismail was also a part of the PTI delegation, Abidi confirmed that Imran Ismail would be a part of the PTI delegation.
