Guns to go silent

ISLAMABAD - An MQM delegation led by Dr Farooq Sattar met with President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday and expressed the partys reservations after comments made by Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Sattar, along with federal ministers Rehman Mailk and Babar Awan, said President Zardari had wholeheartedly heard the partys complaints and assured them that immediate action would be taken. He said Mirzas comments have affected the working relationship between the two parties and we hope that the President would solve the issue sooner than later. Interior Minister Rehman Malik told journalists that the President has assured the coalition partner to address their reservations and MQM would be informed of the decision by the party. Law Minister Babar Awan said MQM has no reservations at the Centre. The MQM leader said that Zardari was like a father figure, and the MQM had left the decision in his hands. He said they were hopeful that he would take steps that would be satisfactory for the party. Malik said the meeting was started on one-point agenda, but other matters were also discussed. He said the final decision would be taken by the President. Sattar said the delegation also presented a DVD of the home ministers speech to the President, and had also given one to the prime minister in an earlier meeting. Answering a question on the MQMs contact with other political parties, Sattar said the party always took decisions in the best national interest. He said the incidents like the speech made by the home minister made it difficult for the coalition to work together. Mirza had suggested in a speech to traders that most of the suspects arrested in connection with targeted killings belonged to MQM. He also repeated his assertion on Saturday and asked the MQM to decide about its political future. Prime Minister Gilani called upon Zulfiqar Mirza to refrain from issuing any public statement regarding coalition partners, a statement issued by the premiers media office said after an MQM delegation met him on Sunday. It is pertinent to mention here that after the JUI-F left the coalition government, MQMs ultimatum over Mirzas vitriolic comments gained importance and since then the political temperature in the country has risen to a new high.

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