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PPP, MQM decide to forgive and forget

Zardari visits Nine Zero after 20 years; Altaf describes Qaim Ali Shah as ‘Sindh CM’, calls for foiling conspiracies; committee formed to discuss political changes, future line of action
KARACHI: The PPP and MQM leaders announced that they were willing to forgive and forget the ill-will of the past and start anew to foster peace and democracy in Sindh and Pakistan.

In a stirring address outside MQM headquarters Nine-Zero, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, after being accorded a rousing welcome earlier, promised a brighter future for the coming generations of the province and the nation. Prior to Zardari’s speech, Altaf Hussain, in his address, said that the two parties had started a new journey together.

Zardari, along with a high-powered delegation, visited Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) headquarters, Nine Zero, in Karachi, on Wednesday to hold talks with the latter’s leadership. As a result of the talks, the parties have reportedly formed an eight-member committee, four members from each side, to discuss the political changes and future line of action.

While the meeting between the top brass of Sindh’s two largest parties rekindled the chances of the formation of a coalition government in the province, there was no hint of it by either party’s leader after emerging from the meeting.

However, after the closed door meeting, Altaf, addressing the crowd by telephone, in an interesting insinuation, addressed Qaim Ali Shah, the PPP candidate for chief minister, as the “Chief Minister of Sindh” despite the fact that the election to this effect was to be held next week. This was a clear hint as to what direction the talks had taken.

Altaf and Zardari spoke for at least 15 minutes over the telephone in the closed-door meeting. The atmosphere after the two parties’ leaders emerged from the meeting was electric, which was accentuated after Zardari and Altaf both promised a stronger friendship between the two parties.

Altaf asked for a one-minute silence to honour the sacrifices of the late PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, after which he prayed for the departed soul. Altaf said that the two parties have started a new journey together, adding that in the past, conspiracies had been hatched to pit the MQM and the PPP against one another. However, he said, their coming together would foil all conspiracies.

He also gave special thanks to Rehman Malik for his efforts to bring the PPP and the MQM together. The urban-rural divide in Sindh, said Altaf, will come to an end for the prosperity of the province and the nation.

He also said that he had requested Zardari to allow the MQM to visit Garhi Khuda Bakhsh on April 4, the death anniversary of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, to offer Fateha at his tomb, as well as the grave of Benazir Bhutto. Throughout the speech, Altaf referred to Zardari as “Asif Bhai.”

Zardari also presented Dr Farooq Sattar with a Sindhi cap, personally placing it on his head, after which the latter gifted an Ajrak to the PPP co-chairman. Zardari, speaking to the crowd once Altaf had finished his address, started off with the slogan ìJeay Altaf Hussain.î He said that the PPP had forgiven the MQM and that they wanted the MQM to forgive them for all that happened in the past. There is no bitterness with each other today, said the PPP co-chairman.

In addition, he said that the MQM and the PPP will also forgive those who have made the two fight in the past, adding that their revenge will be to change the system so that democracy and peace will prevail for the years to come.

Zardari said Benazir feared for Pakistan and that he was there at Nine-Zero to complete the late-chairpersonís mission of reconciliation and the triumph of democracy. He said that the onus was on the political forces of today, such as the MQM and the PPP to make sure that Pakistan was a prosperous nation for the sake of Bilawal, Bakhtawar, Asfia (Benazir and Zardariís children) and Hafsa (Altafís daughter).

Pakistan, said Zardari, finds itself in a crisis today, but, he added, the PPP-MQM friendship will take the country out of this crisis together. The speeches of the two were marked with a number of slogans by the supporters of both parties, including ìAsif-Altaf, Bhai Bhaiî ìJeay Altaf Hussainî and ìBhutto Zinda Haiî

Zardari left Nine-Zero at a quarter past midnight. Zardari arrived in Karachi at 8.20 p.m. on Wednesday, and was received at the Jinnah International Airport by Governor, Sindh, Dr Ishratul Ebad. Zardari first visited the Yasinabad graveyard (Shuhada Qabristan) to offer Fateha. His car was showered with rose petals all the way from Mukka Chowk up to Nine-Zero, where he finally arrived at about 10 p.m., amidst tight security, to a huge reception, by a large crowd carrying both PPP and MQM flags.

There was heavy security at the site and a brief jostle broke out between the PPP and MQM security teams as to who would accompany the leaders inside the premises where the meeting was to be held. The PPPís own security, which accompanied the partyís leadership, was called ëBilawal House Securityí and was wearing black shirts. The security team consisted of 40 men in total and headed by Bilal Shiekh.. The MQM security was wearing shirts reading ëHumara KarachiÖ MQM security.í

The media was not allowed inside. The reason behind this, as announced by MQMís Haider Abbas Rizvi and Faisal Sabzwari, was for ìsecurity reasons.î The high-powered PPP delegation, which was headed by Zardari, also included Dr Zulfikar Mirza, Murad Ali Shah, Qaim Ali Shah, Pir Mazharul Haq, Rehman Malik, N.D. Khan, Nabil Gabol and Fauzia Wahab. They met the MQM team headed by Dr Farooq Sattar and comprised Sheikh Liaquat Hussain, Abdul Rasheed, Anwar Alam, Babar Ghauri, Adil Siddiqui, Ashfaq Mangi and Sardar Ahmed.

The last high-level meeting between the two parties took place 20 years ago, back on November 21, 1988, after which the MQM and the PPP entered into a coalition government at the Centre. The government lasted only a little more than 11 months.

Previously, on February 28, right after the 2008 general elections, a PPP team headed by Qaim Ali Shah had visited Nine-Zero. However, that meeting bore no fruit, and, in fact, it compelled the PPP leadership to accuse the MQM of not according it (PPP) a proper welcome and not sending its top leaders to the meeting.

A Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid delegation that visited Nine Zero a few days later was accorded a rousing reception, more so than that given to the PPP. It also involved the MQMís top leadership, which further fuelled the misgivings between Sindhís two largest parties. The PML-Q, which was a coalition partner of the MQM in the previous government and suffered a heavy defeat in the elections, was represented by its President, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

However, on March 21, in an unexpected move, Zardari called the MQM chief Altaf Hussain in London and requested him to withdraw their prime ministerial candidate, Dr Farooq Sattar, in favour of the PPPís Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. The MQM obliged, maintaining that it did so unconditionally and that it did not want to be part of the coalition government in exchange.

While the move fuelled speculations that the formation of a government was on the cards as a result of the move, the MQMís consistent denial that it wanted a part in the ruling coalition coupled with the continuous reservations expressed by the PPPís allies, the PML-Nawaz and the ANP, clouded any such forecasts.

Ameer Haider Hoti elected NWFP CM unopposed

PESHAWAR: NWFP Assembly unanimously elected joint candidate of Awami National Party and the Pakistan People’s Party Ameer Haider Khan Hoti as chief minister on Tuesday.

Amir Haider Hoti was elected as NWFP Chief Minister unopposed on Monday, as no one had filed nomination papers for the top slot against him.

A formal announcement of the election made today. Hoti would take oath as 23rd chief minister at the Governor House at 4pm today. Governor of NWFP Awais Ahmed Ghani would administer the oath.

NWFP Assembly session started Tuesday with Speaker Karamatullah Chagharmati in chair. The speaker asked the members of the assembly to express their vote of confidence for the chief minister and the members by standing at seats expressed their confidence in the chief minister.

113 members expressed their confidence in Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti with no vote in opposition.

The United States has escalated its unilateral strikes in Pakistan

The United States has escalated its unilateral strikes against al-Qaeda members and fighters operating in Pakistan’s tribal areas, partly because of anxieties that the country’s new leaders will insist on scaling back military operations in that country, according to U.S. officials.

Over the past two months, U.S.-controlled Predator aircraft are known to have struck at least three sites used by al-Qaeda operatives.

The moves followed a tacit understanding with Musharraf and Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani that allows U.S. strikes on foreign fighters operating in Pakistan, but not against the Pakistani Taliban, the officials said.

About 45 Arab, Afghan and other foreign fighters have been killed in the attacks, all near the Afghan border, U.S. and Pakistani officials said.

The goal was partly to jar loose information on senior al-Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants, by forcing them to move in ways that U.S. intelligence analysts can detect. Local sources are providing better information to guide the strikes, the officials said.

A senior U.S. official called it a “shake the tree” strategy. It has not been without controversy, others said. Some military officers have privately cautioned that airstrikes alone — without more U.S. special forces soldiers on the ground in the region — are unlikely to net the top al-Qaeda leaders.

The campaign is not specifically designed to capture bin Laden before Bush leaves office, administration officials said. “It’s not a blitz to close this chapter,” said a senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of ongoing operations. “If we find the leadership, then we’ll go after it. But nothing can be done to put al-Qaeda away in the next nine or 10 months. In the long haul, it’s an issue that extends beyond this administration.”

Musharraf, who controls the country’s military forces, has long approved U.S. military strikes on his own. But senior officials in Pakistan’s leading parties are now warning that such unilateral attacks — including the Predator strikes launched from bases near Islamabad and Jacobabad in Pakistan — could be curtailed.

“We have always said that as for strikes, that is for Pakistani forces to do and for the Pakistani government to decide, We do not envision a situation in which foreigners will enter Pakistan and chase targets,” said Farhatullah Babar, a top spokesman for the Pakistan People’s Party, whose leader Yousaf Raza Gillani is the new prime minister. “This war on terror is our war.”

Leaders of Gillani’s party say they are interested in starting talks with local Taliban leaders and giving a political voice to the millions who live in Pakistan’s tribal areas. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State Richard A. Boucher heard the message directly from tribal elders in the village of Landi Kotal in the Khyber area yesterday.

“We told the visiting U.S. guests that the traditional jirga [tribal decision-making] system should be made effective to eliminate the causes of militancy and other problems from the tribal areas,” said Malik Darya Khan, an elder.

“We also told them that we have some disgruntled brothers” — an indirect reference to local Taliban and militants — who should be pulled into the mainstream through negotiations and dialogue, he said.

“The tribal turmoil can be resolved only through negotiations, not with military operations,” Khan added. But he and others have said little specifically about how the new government should cope with foreign fighters, causing the Bush administration to engage in heavy lobbying on that issue.

President Bush called Gillani on Tuesday, for example, to stress the importance of the U.S.-Pakistani alliance and to emphasize that “fighting extremists is in everyone’s interest,” a White House spokesman said.