Daily Times

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Monday claimed to have reached an understanding with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and decided to work together in the greater national interest but did not confirm if their agreement also included support to the no-trust motion moved against Prime Minister Imran Khan. A PPP spokesperson said the ‘agreement’ reached in a meeting between PPP leadership, including party chairmen Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and a delegation from the MQM-P. The two parties “discussed the current political situation in the country”, the PPP spokesperson said, says a media report. “The PPP agreed to all of MQM-P’s points of concern”. In its own statement, the MQM acknowledged that the meeting with the PPP was in continuation of series of political meetings it had held over the past few days but also said it was yet to decide on its stance on the no-trust move. “A decision on the political situation, including the no-trust move, will be taken after considering the interests of our people,” an MQM-P spokesperson said, adding that the party was still in the process of consultation on the issue. The spokesperson did, however, confirm that the MQM-P and PPP agreed to have a better relationship to resolve the problems of urban Sindh. “An agreement was reached to resolve administrative and legal challenges through legislation,” the MQM-P spokesperson said. The meeting between the two parties was also attended by former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani and senior leader Sharjeel Memon.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Amin-ul-Haque, convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, senior deputy convener Amir Khan, Wasim Akhtar, Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hasan and Javed Hanif were part of the MQM-P delegation.

The MQM-P and PPP’s meeting comes amid a no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly. Both the ruling PTI and the opposition alliance have been trying to woo the MQM-P, whose seven seats could prove crucial in determining whether the prime minister retains his position or the opposition manages to de-seat him.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the PTI had complete trust in its allies – PML-Q, MQM-P, Grand Democratic Alliance and BalochistanAwami Party (BAP). “I have been constantly saying and will repeat today that I, as a political worker, believe that all our allies … [are with us and] and my party and I have complete faith in them.

“We believe they are very refined and honourable people. They have supported us at various points in these three years and we were, are and will remain thankful to them,” the foreign minister said.