PML-N leaders not interested in meeting MQM team
PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. — Photo by AFP
ISLAMABAD, July 29: The PML-N says it has serious reservations over the MQM plan to convene a roundtable conference and is not even keen to have a meeting with MQM leaders on the issue.
Sources in the party told Dawn that Mian Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif were not interested in meeting MQM leaders who are currently meeting leaders of various political parties to invite them to the conference on national security issues.
The sources said a majority of senior PML-N members did not want the Sharif brothers to accept the MQM request for a meeting.
“We have serious reservations about the MQM’s move because so far it has failed to convince the nation and the political leadership about their claim that the country is facing serious external threats,” PML-N Information Secretary Senator Mushahidullah Khan said. He expressed his surprise over a claim made by MQM chief Altaf Hussain about threats being faced by the country and questioned government’s silence over the issue.
“While the MQM is warning us that there is a serious threat to national security, the government, the army, the Foreign Office, ISPR and security and intelligence agencies are keeping quiet,” he said.
Mr Khan said he personally believed that the motive behind the MQM’s move was to delay the general elections which were only a few months away. He asserted that the move was destined to fail.
About the possibility of a meeting between the leadership of the two parties, Mr Khan said he did not see any reason for such a meeting. He, however, said that so far the PML-N had not rejected the MQM’s request for a meeting.
When contacted, MQM’s deputy parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Syed Haider Abbas Rizvi said his party had taken the initiative of uniting the country’s political leadership because it believed that it was the right time to do so. Otherwise, “tomorrow no party will have the courage to take such an initiative”.
“This is the time for every party to rise to the occasion and think about national security and the clear danger,” Mr Rizvi said, adding that if the MQM failed in its efforts this time it would be to the detriment of the nation and the country. He said the MQM had been meeting the country’s political parties keeping political differences aside only for the sake of national security.
He rejected a perception that the MQM’s initiative was aimed at delaying the general elections. Rather, he said, if political parties once again wasted their time as they did in the past and did not sit together the “political tension” in the country would definitely rise before elections.
When asked to specify the threats the country faced, he said it was “Afghanistan beyond 2014”. When asked why the government and its agencies were keeping quiet about it, he said Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and the Foreign Office had already briefed the Parliamentary Committee on National Security which had representation of all parties, including the PML-N.
Mr Rizvi said the MQM had started contacting the political parties with a meeting in Karachi with President Asif Ali Zardari who directed the prime minister to help the MQM arrange the conference.
Besides meeting President Zardari, MQM leaders have met leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami, Awami National Party, PML-Q, Sunni Tehrik and JUI-F.
The MQM has received a positive response from the ANP and PML-Q.
Two religious parties in the opposition, the JI and the JUI-F, have welcomed the move. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman told the MQM delegation on Saturday that a decision about participation in the proposed conference could only be taken by the party’s Majlis-i-Shoora.
By reading some of the comments here one would think why Pakistani are not really smart to see what is coming to their way? In America you can see a security report which says that Haqqani group's logistics resides in FATA and operated and controlled from this side. It doesn't take a geneious to realize that soon American will be thinking about awarding some sort of sanctions. After the sanctions the couple of hours of electricity that you get nowadays will become 24 hours of loadshedding. Get your priority straight and open your blind eyes for God sake.
Everyone likes to take sides with one party or the other, however, take a step back and you will notice that they are ALL responsible for the current demise of the country. Yes, it is Election season, and all LIARS are out talking about vooing the public.
People outside Karachi love to hate the MQM for right or wrong reasons, and people outside Punjab have no respect for the Sharif brothers…just a history of a few years shows that everyone has skeletons in their respective closets…some are beneficiaries of Martial Laws and dictatorships, while others in recent government soared the Pakistani National debt to twice its size, without any real landmark development in the country…while we sit around in our "drawing rooms" and hate one party or the other. Get your facts right. They are ALL responsible for the current sad state of National affairs..
"Iss hamaam main sab nangay hain" no political party is angel and we all know that. When it comes to PMLN its problem is non compromising attitude on different issues, what ever the reason is almost all of us knows that. But to tell about MQM which has been called Bhatta hore,Qatil jamaat and don't know how many other names, to find out reasons again just look at the situation of Karachi deeply. Uptill now it is not clear the intentions of MQM to call this conference but it seems like the only reason is to show that MQM is not a local party( more than 90 percent seats in and around Karachi) but to represent that its vote bank is all over Pakistan. The elections are not far so to take advantage of this situation every party has its own moves in their chest. I hope and pray who ever wins the election will bring stability and piece in Pakistan and promote the true value of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Who cares for the poor and destitute people of Pakistan. If you so much love 'Islam' leave your wealth to the poor and needy – how many will do that?
Even Imran Khan cannot clear the dirt of 65 years. The only solution for Pakistan to come to its normal position would be to lease the country for 25 years to any foreign country, expert in 'law&order' 'corruption' 'religious intolerance' and then return the country to its honest people to rule, of course the new generation of Pakistan.
We have reached to that edge that even a foreign country will not be ready for that. No body wants to get a bad name for him. Here a traitor is called a saviour and a saviour is called a traitor.
MQM is the biggest threat for the PML because the leader ship of PML is thinks that Politics is the family business of Nawaz's Family only.. They have only right to rule in Punjab… others are dumb, ineficient and brainless people in punjab…
PML N decisions' proves that they are narrow minded people… They are not care or sinsare about the future and prosperity in Pakistan… They are got scared to lose the Punjab Govt. .. PML N is playing Double Game with poor punjab peoples….
there should be mutual understanding among all the parties…all the time they find out the ways to talk against each other..thats not good..
I totally agree with Javed Khan…. why MQM is beating drum? why are they worry about it? what have they got in 60 yrs from the Pakistanis…. nothing and nothing. They still don't accept them as a polital party, if I am not wrong they are the 3rd largest polital party. having strong roots in urben Sindh and now gaining support in different part of the country. Have you noticed the language being used against MQM??? But yes they got the gift of 'Karachi Operation" from 92 – 97 and lost 15000 lives. and have we forgotten the drama of "Jinnah Pur" ?? have we forgotten the calrification of Rt Br Imtiaz?? we may have because we don't keep use less facts in our mind! do we? The join the didtator during which they buiild the Karachi…. they spent billions but nobody can point any corruption…. May be they are educated and smart so the ordinary mind can't pick their corruption? I m in my early 30's and I can safely say the best time I have seen for Pakistan was when so called dictator was ruling though everybody including the media were enjoying the freedom of expression….
Will Altaf Hussain physically come to pakistan to participate in this conference or will stay in London. if he really cares for Pakistan he must come back to Pakistan rather than issue sermon from London
Benazir came back and you saw what happened to her!
camron munter met nawaz and imran, they both assured " usa" for cooperating in future. imran has nothing to deliver. you can judge his statement what he want. the truth came out of his mouth " mian jee jaan doo , sadi wari aan doo" it is only he want his share in musical chair game. nawaz, imran and zardari are same.
wake up pakistani nation try to find a leader like Ahmadinejad, simple down to earth, honest and brave person
If the Palestinians and Israelis can meet, if the Protestants and Catholics in Ireland met to resolve their differences, if the Soviets and US kept meeting, if India and Pakistan often meet; why is it that one Pakistani political party is not even willing to meet and talk with another ?