KARACHI: Former president and co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party Asif Ali Zardari on Monday asked Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to reach out to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and other opposition parties and allay their concerns over amendments to the local government law in the wake of Sindh High Court judgement against the statute.

Mr Zardari’s overture is being seen as an attempt to bring closer the party’s former ally, which many believe has suffered a serous dent to its widely-known bargaining ability mainly after the May 13 elections and the recently-launched ‘Karachi operation’.

The directives were given to the veteran PPP leader when he and senior members of his cabinet met Mr Zardari in Naudero. They also vowed to challenge the SHC verdict in the Supreme Court, said the party sources.

Keeping all options on the table, the sources said, Mr Zardari set up a committee to hold talks with all major parties in Sindh for the upcoming local government elections.

“The chief minister briefed Mr Zardari on the MQM’s concerns over the LG law. He was also informed about the reservations of other parties. After a detailed discussion Mr Zardari urged an existing committee formed earlier for talks with opposition parties to make contacts and address the parties’ reservations,” said a source privy to the meeting.

Though the party leaders also hinted at making contacts with the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional over the LG law under Mr Zardari’s directives, senior analysts and political pundits believe the party must be focusing on the MQM which enjoyed a crucial position both strategically and politically.

“The MQM has always been a survivalist,” said Wusatullah Khan, a senior broadcaster who is known for his satirical and witty columns. “If one looks back at history since 1988 they [MQM] have shown how to ward off pressure. They are intelligent when it comes to bargaining and their strategic position holding Karachi for three decades helps them to get out of the woods every time they are pushed into isolation,” he remarked.

He did not see any difference among the parties when it came to pragmatic politics whether it was the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the Pakistan Peoples Party or the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam but found the MQM’s skills in this area were “worth taking notice of”.

Like him, other critics, political commentators and analysts who closely observe Karachi politics concur that the MQM has never lost its ground but they also notice that after having enjoyed a decade in ruling partnerships both in the centre and the province the party has been on a back foot for the past many months over a variety of reasons.

The realisation of this fact was also visible in the MQM ranks, in the statements of leaders, party activities and its political moves during the recent past.

The latest sign of the MQM’s desperation came to the fore when the party leaders held a meeting with federal interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan at the Governor’s House on his last visit to Karachi over a ‘political agenda.’

It did not end here. The MQM had assured the interior minister that it would lend support to the PML-N government in the centre on all national issues despite the fact that its legislators sat on opposition benches in the parliament.

Ranking the MQM as the best bargainer Wusatullah Khan does not see the opposition party putting all its eggs in one basket and says it will not surprise him if the party joins the government in Sindh or even in the centre.But Dr Jafar Ahmad of the Pakistan Study Centre at the University of Karachi believes after regaining its old position and its ‘long-term’ game plan in place, it would not be too hard a decision for the MQM to make the PPP its choice for any partnership and alliance.

“First, you see after the present constitutional amendment and constitutional arrangements, a lot of powers have been given to the provinces,” he said. “Secondly, if you keep track of the MQM’s pragmatic politics they will prefer PPP. The current situation is mainly driven by the PPP. It is the PPP which has to decide what it wants to do in Sindh? It has been almost six months but the PPP has not yet decided if it has to make an alliance with MQM or not,” he said.