KARACHI: As the Sindh Assembly adopted the Sindh People’s Local Government Bill on Monday, President Asif Ali Zardari and MQM chief Altaf Hussain met in London and discussed the possibility of an alliance between the PPP and MQM for the next general election.

President Zardari met Mr Hussain during a stopover to London on way home after attending the UN General Assembly session in New York.

The MQM recently threatened to quit the ruling coalition if its ‘legitimate demands’ mainly relating to the local government were not met. But it withdrew its ultimatum after receiving an assurance from President Zardari that its concerns would be addressed.

After the main demand of the MQM was met — adoption by the provincial assembly of the local government bill — a visibly happy Mr Hussain told reporters that the two parties might forge an electoral alliance.

Accompanied by Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Mr Hussain said the two parties would constitute committees to explore ways of forging the alliance. He said if the central leadership of the two parties accepted each other’s points they could contest the next elections together.

He said he had discussed with the president the local government system, development projects for rural and urban areas of Sindh, mass transit projects, devastation caused by floods and the electricity crisis.

Mr Hussian said President Zardari would soon give some good news to the nation about resolving the energy crisis. He said the president had assured him that he would soon hold a meeting with security officials on the law and order situation in Karachi to work out a plan to restore peace in the city.

He said he had told the president that the issue could not be resolved by artificial measures; effective steps would have to be taken for the purpose.

He said the issue of missing persons could be resolved only with improvement in the situation in Balochistan.

According to an MQM press release, the two leaders greeted each other on the passing of the local government ordinance and said it was an important step towards transferring power to the grassroots level.

President Zardari and Mr Hussain agreed that their parties would continue to cooperate and work together for strengthening democracy in the country.

They agreed that confrontation among state institutions was not in the interest of the country and democratic system. The institutions must work within their framework and show consideration for each other.

Mr Hussain urged the president to take effective steps to resolve the Balochistan issue. A solution should be found through negotiations and not with the use of force, the statement said.

The MQM chief raised the issue of dual nationality and urged the president to take measures to allow holders of dual citizenship to contest elections and exercise their right to vote.

The president said efforts would be made to introduce a legislation with the help of political parties in parliament.

Mr Hussain was accompanied in the meeting by Mustafa Azizabadi, Muhammad Anwer and Qasim Raza and President Zardari by Rehman Malik and High Commissioner Wajid Shamshul Hassan.

The president and Mr Hussain also held a one-to-one meeting which lasted about two hours.