JI stays firm on 'fair results first' as PPP offers talks on mayor issue.

KARACHI -- After days of tension caused by allegations and counter-allegations by three major political parties over the results of the Jan 15 local government elections in Karachi, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Thursday renewed its offer of an alliance with Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on the upcoming mayoral election.

In what appeared to be the first such contact between any two contesting parties after polling, the PPP reached out to the JI to convince it on the officer. However, the JI stood firm on its demand of 'fair results first and then any dialogue'.

The PPP move came after JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman levelled serious allegations of rigging against the ruling party; and JI Emir Siraj ul Haq sought intervention by former president and PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari in stop 'use of provincial administration to manipulate the results and change original vote count'.

A PPP delegation led by provincial ministers Saeed Ghani and Imtiaz Sheikh visited the JI Karachi headquarters Idara Noor-i-Haq and held talks with the JI leadership.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the two sides shared their sides of stories and their observations regarding the Jan 15 polls. The PPP, interestingly, continued to maintain a reconciliatory tone for the JI, which remained undeterred with the ruling party's offer and insisted on fair results of the elections first.

Ministers counsel peaceful ways to settle LG polls results, other issues

'The dialogue between parties is a political process and it must go on,' said Hafiz Naeem while talking to reporters. 'We welcome the PPP delegation, but with all due respect, we have made it clear to the PPP leadership and the visiting ministers that there must be an initiative from their side to address our grievances, which are very clear. We want fair results of the LG elections and recognition of our mandate. They have assured us that they would play their part...