ISLAMABAD: Awami National Party (ANP) is ready to welcome on Wednesday (today) a delegation of its once bitter political rival - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - with open arms and with an open mind in order to find solution to burning national issues, including the bleeding Karachi.
The MQM team will hold discussion with its hosts, headed by Senior Vice-President Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel here at the Pakhtunkhwa House at 2:00pm. The meeting will take place on the desire of Muttahida leadership.
ANP’s Central Information Secretary Senator Muhammad Zahid Khan, when approached on telephone, told The News that they would keenly listen to the visitors’ ideas and proposals.“There is an open agenda of the meeting and naturally, political and security problems will be mainly taken up during the discussion,” he maintained while replying to a question.
He said after hearing from MQM team, ANP would present its views, as one could not sit back anymore to see nerve-wrecking things happenings in Karachi and elsewhere and seething energy crisis taking its toll on public life, industry and agriculture. Senator Zahid said that ANP was appreciative of MQM’s move, which could lead to positive outcome after consensus was evolved among the stake-holders.
He contended that there was no denying the fact that Karachi was burning and there had to be a tangible solution of the extremely worrisome situation. The information secretary pointed out every stake-holder from political parties to the State had to be proactive in seeking solution of the mega city’s security problem in addition to addressing other key issues.
“It is our firm belief that there is no issue on earth that can’t be resolved through dialogue and this we have been saying for years,” he said referring to MQM’s initiative of talks with all political parties, irrespective of their ideological background.In a recent speech, MQM self-exiled leader Altaf Hussain had called for consensus among political and religious parties to safeguard Pakistan and its interests.
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