ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party’s Parliamentary Committee gave its consent to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday to make political alliances with all parliamentary parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, at the centre and in Punjab.
A participant of the committee’s meeting, held in the Presidency, told Dawn that it also agreed to a re-alliance with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
It was also attended by the prime minister, who at a separate function earlier in the day, hinted at a possible alliance of the PPP with other political parties to ensure a comprehensive majority in parliament.
“The meeting gave the prime minister a mandate to initiate dialogue with all political parties for the alliance,” a PPP leader said.
However, MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi told a private TV channel that his party had no intention to rejoin the ruling coalition in near future.
The PPP’s Parliamentary Committee had met for the third time to debate the pros and cons of an alliance with the Q-League. On Monday, the party’s core committee, comprising close aides of the president, met in the Presidency and discussed the issue of new alliance with other parties.
The party will meet again on Wednesday in the President’s House, where the newly-appointed Law Minister Maula Bakhsh Chandio will take oath of his office. According to a source in the Presidency, provincial heads of the core committee will also meet on Thursday.
A press release issued by the Presidency said: “The PPP will continue dialogue with its allies and all political forces in the country.”
Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar quoted the president as saying: “The country is facing huge challenges, including economic stress, energy crisis, rising inflation and militancy and extremism, but equally strong is our resolve to steer the country out of difficulty.”
The meeting was attended, among others, by Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Shah, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan, Industry and Production Minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, Textile Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Environment Minister Samina Khalid Ghurki, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi, Raja Pervaz Asharaf, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Faryal Talpur.
President Zardari asked the party’s parliamentarians to step up contacts with voters of their constituencies and concentrate on addressing their grievances. He asked them to share with people their sorrows and joys and attend community functions.
Mr Zardari said the government had completed more than half of its tenure and the party should keep an eye on the next election. He said that decision to award party tickets and offices would be taken after consultations with the provincial presidents and other senior leaders. The president assured the parliamentary party that their concerns relating to development projects would be forwarded to the government for an early action.
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