ISLAMABAD: Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar on Saturday made telephonic contact with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to discuss the resignations of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) members from the assemblies. Ishaq Dar said that the doors of dialogue should not be shut. He said the government wanted a solution to the issue of the MQM’s resignations through dialogue, sources said. After his discussion with Senator Ishaq Dar, Maulana Fazlur Rahman telephoned MQM leader Farooq Sattar and expressed his worries over the Muttahida’s announcement of not taking back its resignations. Fazl informed Sattar that the government had given him a full mandate for talks and the matter should not be dealt with ‘hastily’. He urged the MQM to review its decision. The JUI-F chief requested the MQM to continue the dialogue process and said that he had discussed the matter with the prime minister. At this, Farooq Sattar lamented the government’s non-seriousness towards the MQM’s resignations and the fact that PM Nawaz Sharif neglected the issue during his Karachi visit. “If the prime minister was serious, he would call the MQM leaders and listen to their concerns,” he added. The MQM leader said that his party made this decision in principle after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the metropolis. Listening to Sattar’s arguments, Maulana Fazlur Rahman assured him of discussing all these matters with the premier and vowed to play his role in addressing the MQM’s reservations. Maulana Fazlur Rehman called for the restoration of MQM’s role in parliament. According to reports, the government is likely to contact MQM chief Altaf Hussain in London to convince him for a resumption of dialogue over the issue. The MQM in a statement on Saturday announced to pull out of talks with the government over the party’s resignations from the assemblies adding that the party lawmakers’ resignations from all the three legislatures were final and the MQM would not hold further talks on the matter. The party also announced to abandon parliamentary politics temporarily and to focus on the “establishment of a province and welfare activities.” Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal urged the MQM leaders to think again over its resignation decision. While talking to the media during a ceremony at Karachi University, Ahsan Iqbal stated that Pakistan had been left far behind in the field of agriculture which needed to be addressed. Responding to a question, he advised the MQM leaders to come to parliament for the solution to their problems instead of resigning.
