KARACHI — Pakistan People's Party (PPP) nominees for Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the Sindh Provincial Assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and Shehla Raza, are certain to be elected unopposed, following Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) last-minute decision not to contest for any of the two positions.
Outgoing speaker Syed Muzzaffar Hussain Shah confirmed yesterday that the nomination papers of both the PPP candidates were found to be in order and later congratulated both Khuhro and Shehla Raza for their election. Both will take oath today.
MQM till Friday evening had said that it would put up candidates for Spealker and Deputy Speaker but late at night changed its instance and Senator Babar Ghauri announced that the party had decided to withdraw its candidates and would support PPP nominees with no conditions attached.
This is not the first time that MQM changed its mind at the last minute. Earllier the party did the same during the election of the Leader of the House in the National Assembly. It withdrew its candidate Dr Farooq Sattar and declared support to PPP and its allied party candidate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, who later became the country's first Prime Minister to be elected unopposed.
MQM, however, according to reports, had put forward their demands to share power in Sindh and at the centre. The party demands six ministeries and governship of the province and three federal ministries at the centre.
MQM's leadership believes that it would be beneficial to remain in power than to sit in opposition. Past experiences of the party being in opposition have been bitter and even London-based chief Altaf Hussain too favours becoming part of the government in Sindh.
Sindh's two major parties have been meeting in the past to work out modalities of power-sharing and the latest rounds of talks were held on Friday and a further meeting was being held late yesterday.
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