KARACHI, April 13: Blaming Pakistan People’s Party for what it called lack of seriousness in talks, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement announced on Sunday that it would sit in the opposition in the National Assembly and the Sindh assembly.

“We tried our best to make the dialogue fruitful but the PPP adopted a non-serious attitude. Therefore, we believe that the PPP is responsible for the failure of the talks,” MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar told a press conference here.

He said the decision had been taken by the MQM coordination committee and party chief Altaf Hussain had endorsed it.

Dr Sattar said the MQM would continue to support all positive steps of the government and its efforts to promote peace and brotherhood in the province, in the larger interest of democracy and the country.

However, he warned that the voice of the party could not be suppressed through state power and operation. “We want to clarify that this is not 1995… this is 2008 and no voice can be suppressed through power. We are ready to face any crisis.”

He said the MQM had unconditionally withdrawn its candidate in the election of the prime minister after PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari requested Mr Hussain to do so. “We also voted for PPP candidate Yusuf Raza Gilani” and supported him when he sought the vote of confidence.

He said the PPP co-chairman visited the MQM headquarters on April 2 and a negotiation committee comprising representatives of the two parties was formed on the basis of talks between Mr Zardari and Mr Hussain.

“No serious talks were held because of the non-serious attitude of the PPP.

“Yesterday, the PPP’s attitude could be gauged from the fact that its leader in the committee, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, left the meeting after a few minutes, leaving only Pir Mazharul Haq and Dr Zulfiqar Mirza,” he told newsmen.

Dr Sattar said the MQM had serious reservations over the appointment of Dr Shoaib Suddle as the Sindh police chief. Dr Suddle, according to him, was responsible for extra-judicial killings of scores of workers of his party. “When we conveyed our reservations to PPP leaders in Saturday’s meeting, they replied that he was their hero.”He said that under such circumstances the MQM felt that the PPP was not serious in holding dialogue for reconciliation and the coordination committee had decided that the party’s lawmakers would sit in the opposition.

He urged all MQM workers, including elected representatives, to keep an eye on the situation and inform the masses about it.In reply to a question, he denied that MQM’s demand for more ministries in the Sindh cabinet had resulted in the failure of the talks.

“Our focus remains on a working relationship and talks on allocation of ministries were not held,” he claimed.

Responding to another question, he said the party would soon nominate the leader of the opposition in the Sindh assembly.

Senator Babar Ghauri said the talks had focused on a power-sharing formula in accordance with the mandate won by the MQM in the election.