KARACHI – Keeping with its political tradition, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) late Wednesday withdrew its three-day ultimatum to quit ruling coalition after a call from President Asif Ali Zardari to MQM chief Altaf Hussain.
Following an “assurance” by Zardari to resolve the reservations of MQM regarding delay in tabling of recently promulgated Local Government Ordinance 2012 in the Sindh Assembly for (rubber)-stamping it into an Act of law and “other issues”, the MQM chief directed the coordination committee of the party to withdraw its ultimatum.
Later, the MQM coordination committee formally announced to withdraw its ultimatum. According to the MQM’s official statement, President Zardari, who is in New York to attend UN General Assembly session, telephoned Altaf Hussain and regretted that the issues agreed upon between the two partners could not be implemented due to his pressing engagements.
Zardari assured Altaf that he had already directed the Sindh government to implement the agreed issues immediately. He assured MQM chief that he would soon intervene to solve all the issues through mutual understanding. The statement said that Altaf thanked Zardari and later asked the coordination committee to withdraw their warning. He also praised the president for his “courageous speech” at the UN.
Earlier, after the MQM’s warning, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and other PPP ministers also held talks with the MQM ministers at Governor House on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sources said that MQM was unhappy with the announcements of PPP leaders that it was ready for more amendments in the recently promulgated Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance 2012 as well as delay in its tabling in the Sindh Assembly.
However, the PPP assured the MQM that it will not make such amendments which would affect and reduce the powers of the mayors and district councils. Sources said that MQM has been demanding the ruling PPP to table the local government ordinance in the provincial assembly for making it an act of law as if it would not be tabled in the assembly for legislation, it would be repealed automatically after 90 days.
Other coalition partners, PML-F, ANP, PML-Q and NPP, have already parted ways with the PPP Sindh government for not taking them into confidence on this ordinance, alleging that PPP has divided the Sindh province in two systems administratively. It was because of their and the nationalists’ fierce opposition that has been preventing the PPP from tabling it in the assembly.
Besides, many PPP lawmakers were also unhappy with this ordinance, in which mayors of metropolitan corporations (in Urban Sindh) have been given more powers than district chief administrators of rural districts of the province.

Zardari’s call pricks MQM ultimatum balloon