Two rival Pakistani parties form coalition against ruling PPP-government

Two rival Pakistani parties form coalition against ruling PPP-government

2011-07-07 04:07:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Two rival parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), on Wednesday formed an opposition coalition against the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

According to Ary News television, the PML-N and the MQM vowed to oppose and give a "tough time" to the PPP-led government in the Senate. On June 27, MQM parted ways with PPP after more than three years as the ruling coalition.

The two former rival parties, PML-N and the MQM, set aside their differences and decided to work together "in the best interest of the country," as said by MQM's Haider Abbas Rizvi.

"The PML-N and MQM has agreed in principle to fully play their role as opposition in upper and lower house of the parliament and all four provincial assemblies," said Rizvi. "The meeting discussed overall public issues including raging inflation, law, corruption, political issues, and bogus voting in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Legislative Assembly."

However, the alliance could cause some problems within the PML-N ranks as a strong group in the party has been critical of the MQM politics. MQM has already submitted applications to sit in the opposition benches of the Parliament next to its new ally.

In 2008, the MQM and the PPP, led by President Asif Ali Zardari, formed a coalition government. Earlier this year, MQM left the coalition but rejoined weeks later. MQM has 25 seats in 342-member Parliament.

In June, MQM left the coalition due to a dispute over the past Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections in Karachi. The party said that the PPP government's "dictatorial and undemocratic" approach prompted its separation from the coalition.

Previously, the PPP secured a majority in the AJK Legislative Assembly by securing 19 seats. MQM filed a petition against the polls in the Sindh High Court (SHC) declaring them illegal due to government interference in the elections process.

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