MQM-P weighs Bilawal's partnership offer in Sindh.

Byline: Azfar-ul-Ashfaque

KARACHI -- Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari publicly offered the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan partnership in the Sindh government provided the latter quit the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led coalition government - a move the MQM-P did not reject outright, but described it as a 'non-serious attempt'.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari surprised everyone when he while speaking at a programme to inaugurate four development projects in Karachi addressed Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, who is also a central leader of the MQM-P, and offered him PPP's full support if the MQM-P broke off its alliance with the PTI to oust the federal government.

'Bring down, bring down...bring Imran's government down and save Karachi,' he said.

Amid loud cheering from the audience, he continued: 'We will support you one hundred per cent. For the sake of the people of Karachi, we are ready to provide an equal number of ministries [in Sindh] to the MQM but the [only] condition is that it sends Imran packing.'

PPP chief promises Karachi-based party ministries in return for support for move to send PTI govt packing

The PTI does not enjoy a simple majority in the 342-strong National Assembly. For attaining the required number - 172 - for government formation it had to take the MQM-P and some other parties on board as its coalition partners.

The MQM-P has the largest number of MNAs compared to any other coalition partner of the PTI. According to the NA website, the PTI has 156 MNAs, seven of the MQM-P, five each of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and the Balochistan Awami Party, four of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal, three of the Grand Democratic Alliance and one each of Shaikh Rashid's Awami Muslim League and Jamhoori Watan Party.

The total strength of the PTI-led coalition in the lower house reached 182 and the number game suggests that the PTI government will not fall even if the MQM decides to quit the federal government. The MQM-P has been given two federal ministries in return for its support for Prime Minister Imran Khan-led set-up.

Later in the evening, the MQM-P issued a carefully-worded statement in which it chose...