Asif Ali Zardari, the Co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, has proven that he really means business when he talks of national reconciliation. In fact, he has done something which many of his peers have so far failed to do and by doing which he has even surpassed the political acumen of his own party founders.

Zardari has gone and talked to the party chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement asking him to withdraw his party’s candidate for premiership in the national assembly so that PPP’s candidate for the post of premiership can be ascertained unopposed.

Asif Ali Zardaris’s PPP is the leading party of the coalition in the national assembly with PML-N, the Awami National Party and the Jamiat Ulema Islam of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and clearly enjoys a very comfortable majority to form the government. Therefore, his prime ministerial candidate is sure to be ascertained or elected as the prime minister of the country. So why should he ask the Muttahida Qaumi Movement to withdraw Dr. Farooq Sattar as the prime ministerial candidate?

But Asif Ali Zardari has gone and done it and in doing so he has moved practically towards real national reconciliation. How? The Muttahida Qaumi Movement of Altaf Hussain is a coalition partner in the opposition in the national assembly. By withdrawing its prime ministerial candidate, who can hardly win the prime ministerial slot in the national assembly, it can win a soft corner with PPP which may be seen as a practical move towards national reconciliation.

Now this move of Asif is very astute; the Muttahida is a coalition partner in the opposition in the national assembly with the former ruling party, the PML-Q and although it has been very quick to respond to Asif Zardari’s reconciliatory gesture in principal, it has said it can officially withdraw its candidate only if its partner the PML-Q concurs with the decision because Dr. Farooq Sattar is the candidate not only of the Muttahida but the joint opposition.

There are clear indications that despite reservations the PML-Q will go ahead with MQM’s decision because it has been constantly saying after the elections that it will support the government in any move aimed at nationalist policies.

It must also be noted that in making this move, Asif must have consulted his own allies the PML-N, the ANP and the JUI first and made them see the good reason behind it; they must have concurred and only then Asif would have talked to MQM chief Altaf Hussain in London.

Let us now see how this move of Zardari is so important: the country at this juncture is faced with many difficult problems such as terrorism and extremism, high prices of essential goods, ending many undemocratic things etc. The agenda is very long and very difficult and it needs the collective will and strength of the vast majority of Pakistanis, which believes in moderate Islam, to fight the problems. In other words, it needs the combined will and active co-operation of the parties in government, the parties in the opposition and even the parties not within the assembly.

This is a very good and auspicious beginning for a new democratic era in Pakistan. The co-operation should remain on all national issue. This is how sagacious nations conduct themselves. Asif Zardari has shown that this can be done and the nation can thank him for setting the ball rolling in this direction.

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Tags: Asif Ali Zardari, MQM, PML (Q), PPP, Reconciliation