The MQM-P’s negotiation committee, which consists of Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui as convener, Syed Mustafa Kamal, and Dr. Farooq Sattar, has reportedly been given the authority to decide following the dissolution of the Rabita Committee.
According to those with knowledge of the developments, “the three-member negotiation committee will now decide on casting vote to Pakistan People’s Party’s Asif Ali Zardari in the presidential election.”
The MQM-P’s negotiation committee is set to leave for Islamabad on Thursday to hold meeting with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The sources said that in the meeting, matters related to the MQM-P’s joining to the federal cabinet, ministries would be finalized.
The sources added that the Rabita Committee was dissolved due to organizational irregularities and audio leaks. The number of members would also be reduced in the new Rabita Committee.
The MQM-P declared earlier on Monday that its support for Asif Ali Zardari, the nominee of allied parties, in the presidential election will depend on the Rabita Committee’s blessing.
Prior to the March 9 presidential election, a combined team from the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) met with leaders of the MQM-P at Parliament lodges in Islamabad.
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The team formally asked MQM-P officials to back Asif Ali Zardari, the joint candidate, in the polls scheduled for March 9.
Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told reporters during the meeting that the party’s Rabta Committee will make the ultimate decision about whether to award the vote to the candidate of an associated party.