KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the second largest party in the ruling coalition, will leave the governing alliance and sit in opposition at the federal level, the party said on Sunday.

The MQM made the announcement days after its two federal cabinet ministers resigned, abandoning crisis talks with the main ruling Pakistan People’s Party that had scrambled to keep them on board.

An administration that took power less than three years ago following elections has now lost its majority in parliament and faces possible collapse if the opposition unites to pass a vote of no-confidence.

“We have decided to sit on opposition benches because the government has not done anything to address the issues we have been protesting about,” MQM stalwart Faisal Sabzwari told AFP.

MQM has long been at odds with unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari’s PPP over political violence in Karachi, tax reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund, corruption and crippling inflation.

Without MQM’s 25 seats, the PPP’s coalition numbers 160 seats in the 342-member national assembly, 12 short of the 172 required for a majority.

“The government has not listened to our demands to control inflation and corruption and it is bent upon burdening them with new tax,” said Sabzwari.

MQM remains, however, in the coalition in the southern province of Sindh, of which Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi and economic hub is the capital and where its support is rooted in the Urdu-speaking majority.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani tried to appear calm on live television, telling journalists: “The government is not going to fall.””I was unanimously elected, all parties voted for me in national assembly. We have contacts with all parties,” Gilani said, indicating that horse-trading to shore up a new coalition was already underway.

MQM’s Farooq Sattar, minister for overseas Pakistanis, and ports and shipping minister Babar Ghauri last week submitted their resignations, but the party had stopped short of joining the opposition.

PPP luminaries had appeared publicly confident of stitching up a deal to keep MQM on board, but analysts said late Sunday that the party had decided it no longer wanted to be implicated in an increasingly unpopular government.

All eyes will now turn to Pakistan’s main opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, that would need to support any possible parliamentary vote of no-confidence.

“It is their moral duty now to prove their majority in the national assembly,” PML-N spokesman Ahsan Iqbal said of the government.

“The prime minister should take fresh vote of confidence from the parliament,” he said.

Political analyst Hasan Askari said: “The government runs into serious problems with the exit of MQM… The basic issue for the government now is survival.”

Yet he doubted any immediate prospect of a vote of no-confidence saying that Sharif appeared unwilling to bring down the government immediately and face responsibility for the country’s myriad crises.

Pakistan is grappling with a depressed economy, the after-effects of devastating floods that affected 21 million people last summer, and Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked sanctuaries in its northwest on the Afghan border.

“That (a vote of no-confidence) is not going to happen for the time being. Nawaz Sharif is not in favour and the opposition is divided,” said Askari.

Troubled relations between Sharif’s party and the MQM gives the government breathing space of at least three to four weeks, analysts estimate, to stitch together a new majority.

“The government will try to win over small groups so you’ll see lots of politicking,” said Askari.

One of those parties set to be wooed could be Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF), the country’s most prominent religious party that took seven lawmakers out of government on December 14 after Gilani sacked one of its ministers.

Dawn Online
Jan 2, 2011

So, finally they have decided to sit in opposition.

But why in PPP's era? Hope, this won't derail the democracy!

__________________
"I have an eternal bond with my people, which armies can't break" - Z. A. Bhutto

After remaining in Power for more than two dacades,MQM finally has decided to sit in opposition benches.But,i believe it will not last so long,and in the name of ''for the best interest of democracy and the country'' MQM will support the federal govt.
And if situation remains the same then PML(N) will have to take a decision of whether to support PPP govt. or to form its own govt. with PML(Q),JUI and MQM.However,i percieve that Mian Nawaz Shareef will not go with above mentioned options rather he will demand for elections.The coming days will make picture more clear.God knows what will happen but one thing is for sure,this political instability will work as fuel to fire in fragile economy.

May Allah Almighty shower his blessings on our motherland!

Regards,
Kamran

MQM would never ever oppose PPP as long as DMG officials are not empowered. PPP has given the insurances to MQM that Commissioner System wouldn’t be introduced in Sindh.
As far as ground reality is concerned, MQM is a diehard enemy of government officials with her obsession of reinstating her nazim system(District Government) again, the brainchild of a dictator. Her parochial politics starts and ends at nazims.

__________________
still searching for my soul..............

It seems the government has refused to set free the target killers caught from Karachi.

__________________
/// Aur be ghum hain zamanay main muhabat kay siwa ///

now got has problem in context of proving their majority n morally prime minister is bound to show the majority strength inside the house i guess PML - N will vote in his favor though already being in opposition. this is politics man.. . . watch Rajneeti

__________________
No matter how fast i run or how far i go it wont escape me, pain, misery, emptiness.

MQM has submitted an application for allotment of opposition benches.However,This ethnic party has decided to stay in power @ provincial level.So,indirectly they want to support PPP government.

Yes, they have accepted the fact that they are a ethnic/regional party confined to Karachi only and they should do their dirty politics of target killing and bhata khori only in Karachi !

__________________
/// Aur be ghum hain zamanay main muhabat kay siwa ///

reasons of mqm being in opposition

1.now that mqm have enjoyed three years in govt...nw it is the time, to get the tag of being partners with ppp,removed....as the elections even if this govt. completes its tenure wud be after two yearz..so it is better not for them to share the PPPz failure...
2.ppp wants karachi back and they are not gonna allow mqm anymore to have there jagirdarana waderana badmashana control over karachi anymore....moreover they are also not happy with the govt. for not taking any actions against pakhtunz increasing influence..
3.ppp is trying to take actions against mqmz target killers etc
4.local bodies system is in mqmz favour and ppp is more inclined towards commissionary system

moreover altaf bhai has been very active recently with other political paries to overthrow pppz govt. in light of their decision to sit in opposition benches because they can not afford to bee in opposition for long..why?because now ppp has no restrain to act against mqmz target killers and their jagirdarana waderana badmashana network...and this network is the sole reason why mqm has been in power for the last two decades...ppp is gonna bash them wenever they ill get a breather from the current situation

i pray ppp dont again form an alliance with mqm

(sometimes i wonder..am i biased against mqm?)

__________________
Puppet,Slave,Lover

Nazim System

Bone of contention is Local body government. Inflation, petrol bomb, and Mirza's statements have no importance in front of MQM.

The moment PPP accepts their demand of local government and drops out or defers the idea of commissionary system, MQM will be in their coalition line.

__________________
"Tumhary nafs ki qeemat Janat hay isy Janat say kam qeemat pey na bechna."
"Jiyo to istarh ky log tum sy milny ko tarsy; maro to istrah k log tumharee mot par royain"