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Issues with MQM pinching PPP for 2 years: WikiLeaks |DAWN.COM

According to the cable titled MQM and PPP spar over law and order, local gover-

nance, the members of the two parties have been blaming each other for the contin-

ued violence in Karachi during their separate conversations with the US diplomats.

File Photo by AP

ISLAMABAD: Former Sindh minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza burst against the Mut-tahida Qaumi Movement last month but the issues had been pinching the ruling

party hardliners for almost two years, reveals WikiLeaks.

A secret cable sent by then US consul general Stephen G. Fakan in Karachi to Wash-

ington through its Islamabad Embassy on February 9, 2010, shows that both the Pak-

istan Peoples Party and the MQM had constantly been discussing the contentious is-

sues of the local government system in Sindh and the law and order situation in

Karachi with the Americans for two years.

According to the cable titled MQM and PPP spar over law and order, local gover-

nance, the members of the two parties have been blaming each other for the contin-

ued violence in Karachi during their separate conversations with the US diplomats.

Moreover, it shows the Americans believe that the terrorist attack in Karachi on

Ashura and several recent periods of elevated target killings in the city have been the

backdrop to the debate on the future of local governance in Sindh.


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The cable reveals that three PPP provincial ministers Agha Siraj Durrani, Pir

Mazharul Haq and Zulfikar Mirza (the then provincial home minister) had been in

constant contact with the US diplomats over the issues of law and order in Karachi

and local government system.

According to the cable, Mr Mirza had once told the Americans that the PPP wasready to accept the MQMs demand to retain the Nazim-based system introduced by

Gen Pervez Musharraf.

In November 2009, Sindh Home Minister Mirza told CG Fakan, that to keep the na-

tional and provincial coalitions together the PPP would compromise, agreeing to re-

tention of the current system with some amendments, says the cable.

The cable quotes Sindh Minister for Local Bodies Agha Siraj Durrani as having toldthe Americans that the MQM wants elections under the present Nazims and will

agree to administrator-appointment only if elections are held within 90 days. If elec-

tions are not held, the system reverts back, and the original Nazims resume office.

On the other hand, then MQM minister for youth affairs Faisal Sabzwari reiterated

that the party would only concede with such assurances, noting that reverting back

to the 1979 commissioner system would create unspecified serious issues between

the parties.

Whereas Mr Durrani told the US diplomat that the PPP believed that the elections un-

der the Nazims would not be fair and free because most Nazims of the 23 districts of

Sindh were hostile to the PPP and the deadlock awaited decision by President

Zardari as it appears to be futile to hold any further meetings with MQM.

Mr Durrani said the MQMs intransigence kept them from negotiating at the

lengthy prior meetings and that the party brings fresh demands at every meeting andgoes back on whatever was agreed upon during the last one in an attempt to main-

tain their hold over Sindh.

The PPP also requested an MQM list of people whom it trusted to be appointed as

administrators.

The only issue agreed to in the January 13 meeting was that a report about the discus-

sions, agreements and disagreements would be prepared for Chief Minister Qaim AliShah and Governor Ishratul Ibad, updating them of progress at each meeting.


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Showing distrust in the MQM, senior minister and a leading member of the PPP-

MQM core committee Pir Mazharul Haq also said the PPP wanted documentation

of everything discussed in the core meetings as MQM changes its stance every time

(we) meet.

The agreement between the PPP and the MQM in January last year over the appoint-

ment of caretaker administrators in place of Nazims had surprised the US which is

evident from the cable which says: In an unexpected development on January 16,

both parties agreed to appoint caretaker administrators but again without a formal

mechanism to execute that decision.

Coalition partners (MQM and PPP, with the ANP on the periphery) have yet to

agree on a path forward, instead seeking extensive amendments to the existing gov-ernance system and working to diminish the other partys strength in Karachi and

across the province, it says.

This violence pits the MQM against the PPP on law and order Karachi Nazim

Mustafa Kamal versus Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza, each blaming the other

for not suppressing the onslaught, says the cable.

Through the same cable, the US consul general informed his bosses about the Febru-ary 2 proceedings of the Sindh Assembly when Dr Zulfiqar Mirza in a fiery speech

blamed the MQM for Karachis target killings prompting the latter to stage a walkout

and hold a news conference.

Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani also reprimanded the Karachi Naz-

im for interfering in the provincial government, claiming that Kamal was suffering

from mental imbalances, says the cable, adding: As a result, the tension moved into

the streets resulting in the killings of 11 members of the PPP, MQM and ANP.

That evening, the Sindh Governor (Mr Ibad) called CG Fakan asking him to help set-

tle everyone down and to urge the parties to continue negotiations, it says.

Later, calls between President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani

and MQM chief Altaf Hussain brought assurances from the top that the two parties

remained committed to the coalition.

But taking nothing to chance, Interior Minister Malik was dispatched to Karachi on


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February 3, to return all parties back to the negotiating table.

In a February 4 meeting, the MQM assured Mr Fakan that they would take the high

road, but noted that the PPP and Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza remained quite

rigid in negotiations.

The Karachi Nazim and the deputy Nazim discussed resolution details in vague lan-

guage that leaves several outcomes open elections would be held either within 90

or 120 days or not held entirely in the event of unforeseen events (for the law and

order situation).

The prevailing opinion in the PPP remained that these clauses provided the MQM

with incentive to create and maintain continued unrest and violence in Karachi for

the stipulated 90 days, preventing party-based elections in order to revert to their cer-tain control through the original Nazims. However, the MQM contacts worry that,

even in the absence of unforeseen events, the PPP will not hold elections at all.

In his comments, the US consul general said: Karachi is in a vicious cycle where

both parties may have reason to affect unforeseen events, negotiate again and come

to the same impasse in a few weeks or months.

The two parties numerically need each other, but that does not mean that have tolike each other, or even get along, the CG commented.

Through another cable, the US consul general not only informed Washington about

appointments of Lala Fazlur Rehman as administrator for Karachi in place of Nazim

Mustafa Kamal and that of Mohammad Altaf Katri as administrator in Hyderabad

replacing Kanwar Naveed Jamil of the MQM.

The secret cable shows that Mustafa Kamal had already predicted before the USdiplomats that Lala Fazlur Rehman would replace him in Karachi. Ex-Nazim Syed

Mustafa Kamals prediction was correct as DCO Rehman will take over Kamals old

office until the elections. Despite his party affiliation, and being ethnically Pathan,

Rehman has worked closely with leaders of both PPP and MQM and presents a suit-

able leadership compromise for both leading parties, says the cable.

Later, Sindh Home Secretary Arif Khan also met the Consul General Fakan and of-

fered insight into this choice. Despite calling him a falling down drunk, Khan firmlystated that Rehman was the best candidate for the job and asserted that when he is


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charged with a serious responsibility, Rehman breaks the bottle and will show re-

straint, the cable says.

In an interesting aside, according to Khan, the administrator candidacy discussion

went all the way up to Zardari who also questioned Rehmans capabilities due to the

excessive drinking, Mr Fakan said in the message.
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