Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met a delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in Karachi on Thursday and commended the services of former Sindh governor Kamran Tessori, who has been replaced by the PML-N’s Nehal Hashmi, a statement issued by the PM’s Office (PMO) said.
Both Tessori and Hashmi also attended the meeting.
During the meeting, views were also exchanged on the country’s political situation, the statement said, adding that the PM informed the delegation about Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and initiatives for establishing peace in the region.
The meeting also discussed matters related to the situation in Sindh, including Karachi, and development projects, the statement said.
According to the statement, the MQM-P delegation was led by party Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and included Tessori, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar and others.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal, Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State Khaleel Das, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and Hashmi also attended the meeting, the statement said.
The meeting takes place around two weeks after MQM-P’s Tessori was replaced by the PML-N’s Nehal Hashmi as the Sindh governor, with President Asif Ali Zardari approving his appointment to the post on the PM’s recommendation on March 12.
While he was the governor, Tessori survived open opposition from the PPP, which is also an ally of the ruling PML-N and had previously publicly demanded Tessori’s removal.
Matters had been heated between the PPP and MQM-P since the Gul Plaza incident in January, with Siddiqui and his party demanding that Karachi be made part of the federal territory.
The surprise move to appoint Hashmi in Tessori’s place had drawn a strong reaction from the MQM-P — which is also an ally of the PML-N — that complained it had not been taken on board before the decision to remove its nominee from office, calling it a “grave mistake” by the government and vowing to soon decide its future course of action.
However, on March 14, President Zardari met with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui in Karachi, where they discussed the importance of political harmony.
It was the first formal contact between the two parties after the removal of Tessori as Sindh governor.
A statement issued by the Presidency said the “importance of national unity, political harmony and continued democracy” was discussed during the meeting.
“The president stressed unity and stronger efforts for peace and rule of law,” the statement said.
Tessori’s was appointed as the governor as part of a deal for the formation of a coalition government in the Centre, with the PML-N agreeing to appoint PPP leaders as governors of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In return, PPP had agreed to the PML-N’s right to appoint its nominees in Sindh and Balochistan as governors. Therefore, Tessori’s removal indicated a bolstering of the ties between the PPP and the PML-N.
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