President Zardari meets Altaf Hussain on visit to London
London, UK: President Asif Ali Zardari and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain Monday held a meeting here to iron out issues threatening their partnership in the ruling coalition.
President Zardari, accompanied by his son Bilawal and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, arrived here in the afternoon after being hurriedly called to London to facilitate the meetings between the two sides.
According to the sources, Rehman Malik would discuss with the MQM leadership the key points of the meetings before briefing the president on the agenda. Wajid Shamsul Hasan was present in the hotel where President Zardari was staying but it was clear that he was not playing a role in facilitation of the meeting between the two sides.
President Zardari was due to leave for Pakistan on Monday and sources said the meeting would be held late on Sunday in the hotel where the president was staying. This meeting is seen as very important because only a few days ago the MQM called off its three-day ultimatum after a telephonic chat between President Zardari and Altaf Hussain.
It was certain that the MQM would raise the issue of former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza’s reinstatement in the party.
A source close to the MQM said it believed that Dr Mirza had launched an assault on the junior coalition.
Filed in: World
