Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif made a welcome overture to mediate in the political row between the PPP and the MQM in Sindh. Recently, several ill timed remarks from Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah and PPP co-Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stoked the MQM’s ire. It stalked out of the Sindh government and observed a Black Day on Sunday in Karachi, bringing the city to a standstill. On Tuesday the PM met a delegation from the MQM led by Farooq Sattar and said he was willing to act as a mediator, possibly to bring the MQM back into the provincial government. Members of the PML-N say that the PM is worried partly “because this situation can lead to further polarisation”, which the government cannot afford right now. The PM reportedly told the meeting that during the last few months, Pakistan had witnessed an exemplary display of parliamentary solidarity in the interests of strengthening democratic institutions and that all the represented political parties had played a role in this. The PM said that the “beauty of democracy” was that disagreements were allowed and it provides mechanisms to resolve differences without violence. However, he stressed that any violence in Karachi would be dealt with using an “iron fist”. He reiterated this by saying: “There would be zero tolerance against militancy. The political parties must behave politically or else there shall be dangerous repercussions.” Reports say the PM strongly supported bringing the MQM into the Sindh government earlier this year and it is believed to be vital to his programme of economic development, in which Karachi plays a crucial role. The PM directly addressed MQM demands for more administrative units in Sindh, saying that his party once moved a similar bill in the Punjab Assembly and the idea was not without merit, but the MQM must work through the institutions available rather than indulge in confrontation. He further assured them that his government was serious about completing development projects in Karachi, which have been a bone of contention between the MQM and PPP. MQM leaders in return assured the PM that they would seriously consider his suggestions about defusing the stand-off with the PPP. The PM’s concerns about Karachi are well known. He has repeatedly referred to the city as the country’s economic hub. Peace and development in the city are vital to his economic agenda of promoting investment and building an export-based economy. His quick action to step in before the rift in Sindh grew any wider is a sign that he is aware of how much time has been wasted in recent months and is determined to see political disputes resolved so that the work of governing the country can resume. The PM’s stance also reflects a degree of reciprocity for the PPP’s unstinting support during the political crisis. The MQM’s support to the PM during the political crisis in Islamabad was not as wholehearted as the PPP’s but it did maintain its support for the democratic system. While the PM did not criticise the MQM’s decision to invoke ethnicity in its recent statements, he made it clear that he believes unity is more important than divisiveness and disagreements in the Assemblies must not translate into violent actions on the streets of Karachi. The simple fact is that the MQM is capable of bringing Karachi to a standstill whether it is out in the cold or in government. While Bilawal’s impetuous statements sounded a sour note, in retrospect the public may realise that the MQM’s extreme reaction to Khursheed Shah’s remarks was quite transparently a tactic to pressure the federal and Sindh governments into making favourable concessions, backed up by displays of street power. If the PM’s words have done the trick, the party should realise, as he has, that this is not the 1990s and in the media glare these tactics are easily discernible. Invoking the blasphemy laws for offensive political statements is clearly hyperbole. The MQM should make its complaints known, work through institutional conflict resolution mechanisms and help the PM in his agenda to revive Karachi through sound governance. *