News
Monday, March 03, 2008
PML-Q, MQM ‘still part of Opp coalition’
* MQM agrees on meeting with Q-League tomorrow
By Shahzad Shah Jillani
KARACHI: The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) are still part of an Opposition coalition and will support each other at all forums, said their leaders together after a lunch meeting Sunday. “I spoke to Altaf Hussain earlier and also discussed other things today which were positive and I feel good,” said a light-hearted PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain after their meeting at MQM headquarters Nine Zero. “We came here to have lunch but after hearing good things from Altaf Hussain half of our hunger disappeared.” Shujaat and PML-Q secretary general Mushahid Hussain Syed arrived at the MQM headquarters at 2:30 p.m. in a black Mercedes four-by-four vehicle followed by fifteen others in a convoy. During the post-lunch media briefing, Shujaat said that that MQM was and still is a part of the Opposition coalition. “It is believed that we came here to seek the MQM’s support after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) delegation visited Nine-Zero,” he remarked. “But we did, do and will consider the MQM our partners in the struggle for national interest.” This was backed by Mushahid Hussain who said his party’s was ready to play a part in shaping a strong opposition. “We will sit in the Opposition and it is going to be fun,” he quipped, adding that parties backed by President Pervez Musharraf had a higher vote ration than the PPP which came second. PML-Q NWFP central leader Ameer Muqaam thanked the MQM for its cooperation on behalf of the Pakhtoon living in the Frontier province. The MQM’s Dr Farooq Sattar welcomed them by saying “Jee Aya Noon” (‘Welcome’ in Punjabi). “When the PPP delegation came here, we were asked whether we were heading towards making new friends,” he said with a wide grin. “We told Shujaat to come to Nine Zero, have lunch and hear good things from Altaf Bhai. So he did. He had lunch and also ate Falooda (ice cream) which brings everything back to normal.” The MQM also received an invitation to the Islamabad meeting and said they were looking forward to it. Sattar also assured the PML-Q leaders of their support and said that they would never leave their old friends. Sattar said that issues such as peace and stability, a strong and stable democracy, elimination of extremism, economic stability, basic political reforms and complete provincial autonomy were the main concentration. They also wanted to bring an end to ‘feudal’ culture, tackle the National Finance Award, Kalabagh Dam issues. At one point in the address, Sattar said that even if the MQM sits in the Opposition, it would continue to work for its agenda. Mushahid Hussain said that Altaf Hussain raised a wise and smart point about the Charter of Democracy (COD). “I told Altaf Bhai that he could be a good lawyer as he pointed out Article 3’s sub-section A’s point 1 in the COD that indicates a dual policy of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders on the matter of restoring the judiciary. I told him (Altaf Hussain) that it is was a ‘Patriot Missile’ that would hit right on target,” he said.
Courtesy Daily Times