Imran Khan's PTI seeks support from MQM-P to form government

Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has sought the support of its former nemesis MQM-P to form the federal government, a media report said today.

Khan's point man Jahangir Tareen flew into Karachi from Islamabad last evening and invited former rival Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan to join the PTI-led government, the Dawn reported.

Firdaus Shamim Naqvi, Imran Ismail and Haleem Adil Siddiqui were part of the delegation led by Tehreen.

Karachi-based MQM-P, which ruled Pakistan's commercial hub for decades, managed to get just six National Assembly seats,  four in Karachi and two in Hyderabad, in the July 25 elections compared to its 24 NA seats in 2013.

Talks between the two parties held behind closed doors till 1.10am and an MQM-P source told Dawn that Mr Tareen sought MQM-P’s help in the election of speaker, deputy speaker and leader of the house in the National Assembly and offered the party its share in the upcoming federal cabinet.

The MQM-P has become an important factor in national politics since the PTI with 116 seats in National Assembly cannot form a government on its own and lacks a simple majority in the lower house of parliament.

Later, Tareen told the media that the PTI had invited the MQM-P to join its government at the Centre for the sake of the country.

He said that both the PTI and MQM-P got the mandate from Karachi and now it's time to deliver to the people.

According to sources quoted by Geo News, the MQM-P has made the PTI leaders aware of its demands.

Karachi Package, constitutional amendment for empowered local bodies, administrative units for the urban Sindh, community police and mass transit in Karachi are some of the demands that have been put forth by the MQM-P, with their support conditional to the acceptance of their demands.