Karachi: Pakistani Peoples Party (PPP) leadership is discussing threadbare to invite Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) into an alliance with it in order to consolidate its ground in this southern Sindh province which urban areas are strongholds of MQM.

Indicators to this effect emerged when former interior minister and senator Rehman Malik Saturday told media that in coming days he would call on MQM chief Altaf Hussain.

Malik’s statement came after he called on the outgoing president Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House here.

“With the participating of MQM urban areas of the province would be represented in the government,” he said.

Differences in former allies developed shortly before the May 11 national elections on the issues of local government laws and PPP patronisation of proscribed Peoples Peace Committee in restive Lyari town, that is a PPP domain in this largest city of Pakistan which otherwise is represented by MQM.

Chances of rapprochement faded when PPP formed government in Sindh and soon after taking oath chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah visited Lyari and called on the head of the Committee who is blamed for running gangs in Lyari and responsible for murders of many MQM activists and supporters.

The PPP government also announced restoration of defunct 1979 local government law that was carved out by military dictator Zia ul Haq, further annoying MQM that wanted the local government laws that were framed in Pervez Musharraf regime.

MQM, meanwhile, drew closer to Pakistan Muslim League (PML) of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and extended its unconditional support to and voted for Sharif’s presidential candidate.

Analysts said that both the parties had to get along as their roots were in this province and despite all the differing outlook their stakes belonged to here.

Malik also said that outgoing president Zardari would not leave the country after he relinquished his present position. The senator statement came in the backdrop of the critics assertions that after retirement as president, Zardari would not live in the country because of many of the graft cases he faced for years but enjoyed immunity of trial during his presidential tenure.

Zardari would step down on September 9 formally and president elect Mamnoon Hussain would step in as Pakistan’s 12th president.