ISLAMABAD, 2 August 2006 — Despite the efforts of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to bring about a truce between the Pakistan Muslim League and its coalition partner Muttaheda Qaumi Movement (MQM), both at the Sindh and federal levels, a battle of wills continues between Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and MQM leaders.

President Musharraf yesterday held a meeting in Rawalpindi to defuse the crisis between the ruling PML and the MQM. But no breakthrough was possible by late afternoon and the MQM pulled out its negotiators from the meeting.

An MQM delegation led by Sen. and federal minister Babar Ghauri included Karachi’s Nazim Sayed, Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar and Muhammad Hussain. They returned to Karachi without attending the meeting. Sattar told journalists as the team walked off from the meeting, “ The MQM is not attending as a matter of protest against indecent remarks made by the Arbab against MQM leaders.”

Commenting on the situation Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani said, “There’s been some misunderstanding on the part of the MQM leadership, no derogatory statement was made by the chief minister of Sindh against MQM leaders.” He added that the chief minister of Sindh had issued a clarification soon after.

Durrani said the statement did not make any mention whatsoever about coalition partners and insisted the standoff developed due to some misunderstanding.

Responding to a question, he said, “We are still in contact with the MQM leadership.”

As the crisis further developed with the MQM refusing to participate at the meeting. PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz accompanied by Secretary of the National Security Council Tariq Aziz and the PML Secretary-General Sen. Mushahid Hussain held a marathon meeting with Musharraf in his Rawalpindi camp office.

Meanwhile, Zafar Iqbal Jhagra of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Sharif) urged the MQM to side with the combined opposition in its effort to table a “No Trust Motion” against the prime minsiter. The opposition parties of ARD and MMA have already announced that they will table a “No Trust Motion” claiming support from the ruling PML. Khawaja Saad Rafique, a leader of the PML, claimed that over 50 legislators would support the opposition.

According to official sources, the president, after the meeting, had decided not to maintain any more contact with the MQM leadership. The president also expressed his displeasure over the absence of the governor of Sindh. He later summoned the governor to Islamabad.

Musharraf directed the premier and Shujaat Hussain not to contact the London-based leader of MQM Altaf Hussain or the MQM leader at 90 in Karachi. However he directed the PML to continue the political option.

On the basis of the deadlock, it appears now that the Sindh Assembly may be dissolved and a new governor of Sindh appointed. That would provide an option of direct governor’s rule in Sindh.

Talking with newsmen at Karachi Airport on return of the negotiating team from Islamabad, Sattar said after such an offending statement it was impossible for an allied party to participate in talks.

Replying a question he said a meeting of MQM Coordination Committee has been called to devise future strategy.

Earlier, Arbab said that the PML is an organized party and it will win the upcoming general elections, like it did the local bodies polls. He made this statement at a PML convention, adding he also rejected the opposition threats of protests and anti-government movement and described it as against democratic norms.

The party also condemned the opposition leaders and rejected the Charter of Democracy and said that it is a conspiracy of London-based leaders to sabotage the country’s democratic system and destabilize the economy of the country. Arbab will also attend the first meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to be held today under the chairmanship of the prime minister.

— Additional input from Huma Aamir Malik